REVIEW: ‘Corpus Christi’
Photo: Bartosz Bielenia stars as Daniel, a prisoner turned priest, in Corpus Christi. Photo courtesy of Film Movement / Provided by Film Forum press site with permission.
Corpus Christi, the new drama from Poland that was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, features a harrowing, unforgettable performance by Bartosz Bielenia, who plays a 20-year-old prisoner who decides to masquerade as a Roman Catholic priest in a small village. The movie, finishing up its run at New York City’s Film Forum, is an interesting and provocative rumination on faith, reconciliation and authentic leadership.
Daniel (Bielenia) is a dichotomous character who defies easy categorization. He seems rough around the edges while in prison, but his harsh acts and sins of omission seem to do more with survival than contempt. He’s surrounded by some fellow prisoners who are hellbent on destruction and violence, as one graphic scene in the beginning of the narrative displays. Daniel keeps to the periphery, but he’s also complicit.
After such a graphic introduction to prison life — the scene involves a man’s genitals and a vise — the audience may be surprised by Daniel’s genuine devotion during Catholic Mass. He is enthralled by the Gospel and yearns to become a priest. When he’s told by the celebrant that his criminal past will prevent him from joining the seminary, one can sense the dashed dreams of this 20-year-old and his inability to see a future beyond these restrictive prison walls.
An opportunity arises for Daniel when he is shipped off to the countryside to work hard labor at a sawmill. He’s entrusted to arrive at the company and begin toiling away at the planks of wood, but instead he takes a sidestep for the local church. Coincidentally (perhaps a little too much), the local pastor has left town for a bit, and the community has been waiting for his replacement. Daniel walks in and is seemingly ready to go.
Here’s what sets Corpus Christi apart from other mistaken-identity tales: Daniel turns out to be a good priest and not a fumbling mess. Perhaps because of his youth and sense of reconciliation, he is better able to connect with the parishioners and provide particularly poignant moments of advice and guidance to the young people of the town.
This town is still reeling from a horrible two-car accident that killed a number of beloved locals. The community has ostracized the wife of the driver at fault, and they are struggling with the decision on whether to even bury the driver and mourn his death. This is exactly the type of situation that Daniel seems uniquely prepared to mitigate, and he does so in unusual, yet authentic ways.
Director Jan Komasa has helped Bielenia turn in such a powerful performance. Both filmmaker and star seem to have an intrinsic bond, something akin to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in Raging Bull or Taxi Driver.
But beyond the powerful central performance, Corpus Christi also has something to say about the value of individual humans, no matter their background or present circumstances. There is an important take-home message that is imparted by Daniel, and it has a tremendous effect on this small population, who are well served by his leadership, although it does break the canonical rules of the church.
In many ways, Daniel offers up a case study in possibilities, a consideration of alternative ways to spread faith and hope from a person who has lived a difficult life in which faith led to hope.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Corpus Christi (2019), directed by Jan Komasa, stars Bartosz Bielenia. In Polish with English subtitles. Running time: 116 minutes. Rating: 
Click here for more information and tickets.
