20 Recent Movie Twists That Fell Completely Flat

16. Conclave - The New Pope Is Intersex

Coming up next, we've got another climactic twist from a Best Picture nominee and another inclusion on this list that might be divisive. It should be said that the denouement to Edward Berger's Papal election thriller was a really interesting idea, but the execution just wasn't quite there. 

At the end, the surprise victor of the election is Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a Mexican Archbishop. There had, however, been a secret about Benitez, one that had been concealed by himself and the previous, now-deceased Pope. As Benitez explains to protagonist Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), he is actually intersex. This would be a seismic scandal if exposed, as the Catholic Church forbids female priests, let alone a Pope. 

Benitez had been planning to have an operation but decided against it, telling Lawrence that he'll remain as God made him. Lawrence agrees to keep the secret. Again, it's a good idea but in the finished film, it was far too random and abrupt. The rest of the movie did not build up to it enough and it felt fairly divorced from the movie's other plotlines. When Benitez suddenly started talking about a hysterectomy, it probably provoked unintentional laughter in many screenings.