"Corpus Christi" sounds on paper like it could be a screwball comedy: a young man recently paroled from juvenile detention becomes the substitute priest in a small town through a case of mistaken identity. The punchline is that he's really good at being a priest and the parishioners like him -- that is until his younger, more liberal attitudes and his experience as a troubled youth begin to rub them the wrong way when he wants them to heal the festering wounds that resulted from a town tragedy from the recent past.
This is not a comedy though, not even close. First of all, it's Polish. So that should tell you something right there. Secondly, there's not a laugh to be found in this somber story. I admired everything about this movie, but there was just some intangible ingredient missing that would otherwise allow me to recommend it enthusiastically. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing great about it either.
The ending is shocking and bleak, and will probably leave people thinking. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Grade: B+
This is not a comedy though, not even close. First of all, it's Polish. So that should tell you something right there. Secondly, there's not a laugh to be found in this somber story. I admired everything about this movie, but there was just some intangible ingredient missing that would otherwise allow me to recommend it enthusiastically. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing great about it either.
The ending is shocking and bleak, and will probably leave people thinking. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Grade: B+