In Jan Komasa’s Polish drama Corpus Christi, the themes of redemption and the inherent novelty in trusting a stranger because of their perceived holiness are explored in the most interesting fashion. Rightfully nominated for Best International Feature at the 2020 Oscars, Corpus Christi follows a soon-to-be ex-convict named Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia), who finds a genuine religious calling while in a juvenile detention center. Daniel has a dark past that is mostly hinted at, but he is still surrounded by brutality on a daily basis. In a tough opening scene, Daniel is seen keeping watch while a fellow inmate gets jumped and horribly injured. Daniel may not want to be a part of this life, but you have to do what you must to get by on the inside. When you juxtapose this experience with his next scene of singing a Psalm during the religious service with utter sincerity in his heart, you understand the complicated nature of trying to walk the path of righteousness. When Daniel asks his friend and prison priest, Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat), about continuing his work in the faith, he is dealt the blow that a criminal record precludes him from entering the priesthood.
Instead, Daniel has been ordered to continue his reformation by heading to a job at a sawmill on the other side of the country. This is a pretty standard path to nowhere for recent convicts. An encounter with an off-duty officer on the bus to his new job puts Daniel on his heels just enough to think twice about walking the final couple hundred yards to his mandated destination. He chooses to make his way down the road to a local village where he decides to check in with the Big Guy. Through an offhand lie that snowballs into a runaway story, Daniel takes on the namesake of his own Father Tomasz and reinvents himself as the priest he truly wants to be. The current priest has a bit of a drinking problem, among other shortcomings, and goes away for a while to get a handle on it while Daniel takes over as the town priest. This is not a story where Daniel is trying to fleece the town for nefarious means and personal gain; he truly thinks he can help them through his spirituality. It does not take long to discover, this is a town in desperate need of saving.
The little quiet town now under Daniel’s domain is one that is in mourning over a recent automobile accident that killed multiple teenagers and splintered the town into a well of simmering hatred. Just like Daniel, the town holds secrets, and the townspeople are not going to willingly confront them. Daniel actually makes a pretty great priest for the town, in some respects. Bielenia plays Daniel with a wild-eyed earnestness that is truly transfixing. He quickly finds his voice and starts helping the town through charitable acts and individual connections. He gets a lot of helpful information from a young local, Marta (Eliza Rycembel), while her embittered mother, Lidia (Aleksandra Konieczna), remains suspect of Daniel in the midst of mourning the recent loss of her son. Daniel is doing everything he can think to do to heal the wounds of the town while maintaining his secret. What Corpus Christi asks the audience to wrestle with is, do the benefits that Daniel brings to the town mean as much knowing that he is not truly ordained? Can one be an effective religious leader if you are not building from a foundation of honesty?
Komasa deftly handles these questions and more while leaving enough room for the audience to have inspired conversations long after the credits have stopped rolling. Leaving aside the big questions, this is a lovingly crafted film on a technical level. While lightly inspired by true events, there are many moments where the story could have went off the rails, but nothing ever rings false throughout the runtime. Perhaps this is due to the awe-inspiring turn Bielenia gives as Daniel, who is equally supported by an immensely talented ensemble. This is also not presented as a fantasy; Daniel may help the town in many ways, but he dredges up things better left settled just as often. He is playing the part of a priest, but he is an amateur all the same. By the end of the film, you may be in a completely different place with the morality at play than when you first began. The way in which Corpus Christi handles questions of faith and the limits of forgiveness is something that will truly knock you sideways if you let yourself get invested in this fascinating story.
Video Quality
Corpus Christi comes to Blu-Ray from Film Movement with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This is not a film that is bursting with colors, but everything appears very natural from the greens of the foliage to the pops of color in the religious garb. The color palette is stylistically dreary and a bit washed out. Where the transfer really shines is the impressive level of detail in even the subtlest aspects. Everything from the stitching of the garments to the small little tokens the townspeople bring to Daniel is precisely detailed here. The picture is immaculately clear with no hints of an unwarranted digital noise or compression artifacts. Black levels are quite deep, and skin tones are natural throughout. Close ups often reveal an immense amount of fine facial detail. This is a lovely transfer from Film Movement.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a dandy of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Polish. Subtitles are formatted clearly in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Dialogue comes through nice and clear mostly focused on the center channel. The mix does a good job of balancing this information with the score and sound effects so that nothing ever gets clipped. There is an early scene where Daniel goes to a club that has some dynamic bass, but otherwise activity in the low end is pretty subdued. The film employs some interesting activity in the rear channels in instances of group gatherings around the memorial board and during church services. This track does everything it needs to do for the film, if not more.
Special Features
- Making of Corpus Christi: A fifteen-minute featurette showcasing interviews with the cast and crew discussing the themes of the film and their approach to the characters. There is a lot of neat behind-the-scenes footage shown here.
- Nice To See You: A sixteen-minute short film by director Jan Komasa, which appears to be a film school project. The film revolves around a girl who appears to be making some wrong personal choices in her life, and should really go home to her family. It’s in a bit rough shape quality wise, but it is a really interesting addition to the disc.
- Trailer: The two-minute theatrical trailer is presented here in high definition. This is a well-paced trailer that sells the film well without giving away every plot point.
Final Thoughts
Corpus Christi is the special type of movie that you get a couple of times a year if you are lucky. This film is a narrative powerhouse that simultaneously challenges you on an intellectual and spiritual level. Film Movement has given this one an excellent A/V presentation and some worthwhile special features. Fans of independent cinema should consider this essential viewing. Highly Recommended
Corpus Christi is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Film Movement has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
