Faced with the secretive and ceremonial process of selecting a new pope, Catholic cardinals have unexpectedly turned to cinema for preparation. Some of the 133 cardinals set to enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday have reportedly watched the film Conclave — starring Ralph Fiennes — to better understand how the closed-door event might unfold.

“Some have watched it in the cinema,” one cleric involved in the actual proceedings told POLITICO. The movie, directed by Edward Berger, features Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the conclave’s dean, who must contend with political maneuvering, explosive dossiers, and the emergence of a little-known candidate from an obscure diocese.

According to that same cleric, the film is seen as “remarkably accurate,” offering a surprising level of insight into what actually happens behind closed doors. That’s especially relevant now, as the majority of the cardinals gathering in Rome were appointed by the late Pope Francis and have never experienced a conclave before. Like the fictional characters, many also come from far-flung or historically overlooked dioceses.

Papal conclave at the Vatican.

Released just four months before the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Conclave has found an unlikely second life — not just as entertainment, but as a crash course for those about to play a direct role in choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church. As anticipation builds globally, the overlap between the fictional version and the real-world intrigue continues to deepen.

Lobbying in the lead-up to the conclave has already sparked scandal. Anonymous accusations have been leaked by veteran Vatican insiders to the Italian press, intensifying tensions. Among them: anonymous barbs aimed at papal hopefuls, abuse allegations resurfacing around top candidates, and a now-banned cardinal linked to financial fraud whose exclusion followed the emergence of a dramatic posthumous letter from Pope Francis himself.

In the end, it’s a surreal moment: Hollywood fiction is now an oddly fitting mirror for one of the most ancient and sacred decision-making processes in the world.