CORPUS CHRISTI
*****
Director: Jan Komasa
Screenwriter: Mateusz Pacewicz
Principal cast:
Bartosz Bielenia
Aleksandra Konieczna
Eliza Rycembel
Leszek Lichota
Barbara Kurzaj
Lukasz Simlat
Country: Poland/France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 22 October 2020.
A card at the start of Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi informs us that the film is ‘inspired by true events’ but that news doesn’t really set us up for the truly strange story we are about to see, one that examines issues of faith, forgiveness and redemption - and the unexpected packages those qualities sometimes come in.
Daniel (an extraordinary performance by Bartosz Bielenia) is a young man who found his faith while serving time in a youth detention centre. When he is coming up for release, he asks Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat) if he can enter the seminary but is told that his criminal record makes it impossible. Instead, he is sent off to work in a sawmill in the far east of Poland. On arrival, he is reflecting in the local church when he meets a young woman and spontaneously introduces himself as a travelling priest. As she runs to get the local pastor (Zdzislaw Wardejn), Daniel dons a clerical collar that he pilfered from Father Tomasz. The local clergyman is delighted to see him because he has to leave the village for a time and he asks Daniel to fill in for him immediately. Once he overcomes his nerves, the young man takes to his new role with gusto, especially delivering sermons to the congregation. When he learns that a shocking tragedy has divided the community, leaving the villagers unable to come to terms with their loss, he sets out to put matters right but the town is hiding secrets and Daniel’s unorthodox approach to preaching tests the parishioners’ faith. And Daniel, the con-slash-convert, is harbouring a dark secret, too, one that gives him an insight into how the people can address their pain. Soon, though, he realises that raising questions about just how Christian the ‘faithful’ are is likely to stir up the wrong kind of passion in them, a human rather than religious passion.
Bartosz Bielenia is in almost every frame and he is absolutely riveting. With his shaven head and gaol tattoos he certainly looks the part of a guy who’s spent a fair chunk of time in ‘juvey’, but it’s his eyes that really convey the emotions he is experiencing. He exudes an air of pain and suffering, even when dancing wildly to the hard-core music he enjoys. It’s a hugely successful role for the young Polish actor, one that has brought him to the attention of the world, especially since Corpus Christi was chosen as Poland’s nominee in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2020 Academy Awards. Director Komasa explained that, “When we were looking for the right actor, we knew it has to be someone who is slightly different and Bartosz Bielenia emanates it very well. Because Daniel is no ordinary boy - he is special.” And so is the actor, based on his performance here. Mateusz Pacewicz’s script is terrific, raw and brutal in places, simple yet refined in others. It’s an amazing achievement for a first feature-length screenplay and he deserved the Best Screenplay Award he won at the Polish Film Awards earlier this year.
Corpus Christi was a hit in its own territory, even out-grossing that great Polish movie from 2018, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, and it’s easy to see why. It is a fascinating film that is part mystery, part coming-of-age story, part philosophical drama and part tragedy, a rare combination that lovers of quality cinema will value.
Screenwriter: Mateusz Pacewicz
Principal cast:
Bartosz Bielenia
Aleksandra Konieczna
Eliza Rycembel
Leszek Lichota
Barbara Kurzaj
Lukasz Simlat
Country: Poland/France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 22 October 2020.
A card at the start of Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi informs us that the film is ‘inspired by true events’ but that news doesn’t really set us up for the truly strange story we are about to see, one that examines issues of faith, forgiveness and redemption - and the unexpected packages those qualities sometimes come in.
Daniel (an extraordinary performance by Bartosz Bielenia) is a young man who found his faith while serving time in a youth detention centre. When he is coming up for release, he asks Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat) if he can enter the seminary but is told that his criminal record makes it impossible. Instead, he is sent off to work in a sawmill in the far east of Poland. On arrival, he is reflecting in the local church when he meets a young woman and spontaneously introduces himself as a travelling priest. As she runs to get the local pastor (Zdzislaw Wardejn), Daniel dons a clerical collar that he pilfered from Father Tomasz. The local clergyman is delighted to see him because he has to leave the village for a time and he asks Daniel to fill in for him immediately. Once he overcomes his nerves, the young man takes to his new role with gusto, especially delivering sermons to the congregation. When he learns that a shocking tragedy has divided the community, leaving the villagers unable to come to terms with their loss, he sets out to put matters right but the town is hiding secrets and Daniel’s unorthodox approach to preaching tests the parishioners’ faith. And Daniel, the con-slash-convert, is harbouring a dark secret, too, one that gives him an insight into how the people can address their pain. Soon, though, he realises that raising questions about just how Christian the ‘faithful’ are is likely to stir up the wrong kind of passion in them, a human rather than religious passion.
Bartosz Bielenia is in almost every frame and he is absolutely riveting. With his shaven head and gaol tattoos he certainly looks the part of a guy who’s spent a fair chunk of time in ‘juvey’, but it’s his eyes that really convey the emotions he is experiencing. He exudes an air of pain and suffering, even when dancing wildly to the hard-core music he enjoys. It’s a hugely successful role for the young Polish actor, one that has brought him to the attention of the world, especially since Corpus Christi was chosen as Poland’s nominee in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2020 Academy Awards. Director Komasa explained that, “When we were looking for the right actor, we knew it has to be someone who is slightly different and Bartosz Bielenia emanates it very well. Because Daniel is no ordinary boy - he is special.” And so is the actor, based on his performance here. Mateusz Pacewicz’s script is terrific, raw and brutal in places, simple yet refined in others. It’s an amazing achievement for a first feature-length screenplay and he deserved the Best Screenplay Award he won at the Polish Film Awards earlier this year.
Corpus Christi was a hit in its own territory, even out-grossing that great Polish movie from 2018, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, and it’s easy to see why. It is a fascinating film that is part mystery, part coming-of-age story, part philosophical drama and part tragedy, a rare combination that lovers of quality cinema will value.