An ex-convict finds his calling
Unrated. In Polish with subtitles. 115 minutes.
If the Oscar-winning “Parasite” feels like it has the potential to change the landscape for subtitled films in the United States, “Corpus Christi,” which lost to “Parasite” in the best international feature category, plays like more of a throwback to a time when subtitles signified stark seriousness.
Shot in a grim, desaturated palette, this Polish film, directed by Jan Komasa, addresses big issues of conscience and morality. The symbolism (a simple sawmill worker becomes a carpenter-Christ figure) is blunt; the drama is straightforward.
Citing inspiration in real events, the movie follows Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia), a prisoner who wants to enroll in a seminary. A chaplain tells him he won’t get admitted as an ex-convict. But after being released, Daniel plays hooky from his new job and wanders into a nearby church, where he claims to be a priest — and soon ends up serving as a substitute.
Although Daniel has to learn on the fly (he reads a guide for confession on his smartphone), his loose style of preaching never appears to give him away.
It also resonates with the small town’s residents, who are grieving from a car crash that killed seven.
The idea that a charlatan might offer more solace than a real priest is a trite concept, but it’s one that “Corpus Christi” portrays with conviction. The movie rests on the shoulders of Bielenia — or rather, in his eyes, which photograph as a chilling gray.