Directed by:
Jan KomasaScreenplay:
Mateusz PacewiczCinematography:
Piotr Sobociński Jr.Cast:
Bartosz Bielenia, Aleksandra Konieczna, Eliza Rycembel, Tomasz Ziętek, Barbara Jonak, Leszek Lichota, Zdzislaw Wardejn, Lukasz Simlat, Anna Biernacik (more)VOD (1)
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Inspired by true events, Jan Komasa’s multi award-winning drama Corpus Christi is a remarkable tale of morality and redemption, about a charismatic young ex-convict who fooled an entire Polish village by falsely posing as a priest. 20-year-old Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia, a major screen discovery) has found God whilst incarcerated in a youth detention centre, but his criminal record excludes him from entering the seminary. At the end of his sentence he is sent to a small town to take up a position in a woodworking factory, but thanks to a stolen collar is mistakenly taken as the parish’s new clergyman. It’s a seemingly God-given opportunity for transformation, and Daniel - whilst wholly unconventional in his approach (and after a shaky start) - takes to the pulpit with a fervour and compassion that his predecessor has clearly lacked. Meanwhile, the arrival of this magnetic young preacher seems to be the spark needed for the town to acknowledge a recent tragedy that has affected the entire community, one that few have been able to speak about. But not everyone is open to his approach, and Daniel learns the hard way that following the road to salvation can also lead one astray...
Astutely navigating themes of faith, virtue and forgiveness, Komasa’s disciplined and unflinching direction is exponentially enhanced by the simply jaw-dropping lead performance from young Bielenia. Widely hailed by critics and audiences as the stand-out discovery of the 2019 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, Corpus Christi became a box office sensation in Poland, overtaking Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War by achieving over 1.35 million admissions. It demands - and deserves - equal international attention.
(Palace Films)
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Reviews (8)
Jan Komasa is definitely talented and I consider his film The Hater to be the best of modern Polish cinema. Corpus Christi has been sitting on my disc for about a year and I didn't want to get into it because of the subject matter. In the end, it's quite digestible, but certainly nothing that would make me fall to my knees. Bartosz Bielenia's acting is great and I enjoyed the scenes from the pimp, but the scenes from the church less so. The intense finale saves it quite a bit, and the character of Bonus is really monstrous, but I would have preferred if the main character had gone on more of a rampage with women, drugs, alcohol, which only outlined to a lesser degree, and I'm not going to spend stars just for the story. Story 4/5, Action 2/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5. 6/10.
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I’m giving five stars to another Polish film with a religious theme. While Clergy was on a much more serious subject, this film complements it perfectly and exposes not just the priests but also their flock who follow Christian teachings to the letter when it comes to Old Testament punishments, but not exactly when it comes to the beam in their own eye and loving their neighbor. I'd say it was an educative film, except that those who know don’t need teaching and those for whom it was primarily intended are virtually unteachable.
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Bartosz Bielenia looks and acts like a classic Pole who rolls out of the Skoda factory after his shift and goes wreaks havoc in the city. More than an interesting drama with Christian undertones, it seems to me that with this film, the Poles are trying to address a part of Polish culture - professionally known as skinheads or football hooligans - and attach Christian motifs to such a character to provoke some controversy. Furthermore, it has long been known that the Poles know their way around cinematography, earning a solid five stars from me. Throughout the film, you can sense where the plot is heading, but the ending is a grand, magnificent desperation, especially with such a well-directed final scene that I haven't seen in any other film in a long time. Hats off to the Poles, once again you have completely dazzled me with total filmmaking quality and ideas that will resonate in my head for a few days.
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The film sticks to a relatively well-established storyline about a newcomer in a closed and torn community, who inadvertently brings it together through his actions, but who is still unable escape his past. Even the film’s form is quite common throughout most of its running time. What is not as common is the incredibly expressive and even demonic Bartosz Bielenia, who gives an extraordinary performance in the main role and carries the whole film on his shoulders, as well as the perspective of his character, looking at the world through God and thereby getting to know himself. The film also delivers through its comprehensively processed theme of religious faith and a static camera, which in the end surprises when it suddenly and justifiably starts moving at a key moment. This remarkable drama also excels in its elaborate script and serves as further proof that even an intimate film with a small budget and only a few locations can be shot in such a way as to provide the viewer with a strong and exceptionally impressive experience.
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