Surprise! Conclave wins best film
Everyone expected Edward Berger’s classy thriller to win outstanding British film; in a slightly mediocre year for that prize, it was the clear frontrunner. But few tipped it for the best picture award. The Brutalist seemed to have too much chewy critical adoration; A Complete Unknown is well-loved, especially amongst the boomer demographic which still makes up a considerable portion of the Bafta votership; Anora (see below) was the dark horse emerging into the limelight. But Conclave? Isn’t it a bit … middlebrow? A bit too … enjoyable? And wasn’t that mic-drop ending slightly polarising?
