2019 Oscar Nominated Polish Film "Corpus Christi"

Corpus Christi (Boże Ciało) is a recently released Polish dramatic film written by Mateusz Pacewicz and directed by Jan Komasa. It is one of five movies nominated for Best Foreign Film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The film is about a 20-year-old named Daniel who experiences a spiritual transformation while serving time in a Youth Detention Center. He wants to become a priest but can't because of his criminal record. When he is sent to work at a carpenter’s workshop in a small village, on arrival he dresses up as a priest and accidentally takes over the local parish. The arrival of the young, charismatic preacher is an opportunity for the local community to begin the healing process after a tragedy that happened there.
 
Corpus Christi premiered at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. It was also shown at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. In Venice, the film won the Europa Cinemas Label Award and the Edipo Re Inclusion Award. It was also selected as the Polish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Corpus Christi will compete against:
1) Les Misérables (France)
2) Pain and Glory (Spain)
3) Parasite (South Korea) 
4) Honeyland (North Macedonia)

 The winner will be announced during the Academy Awards ceremony February 9th.

Since Roman Polanski’s first Oscars submission in 1963 with Knife in the Water, Polish movies have been nominated no less than eleven times in the Best Foreign Language Film category, winning once with Pawel Pawlikowki’s Ida in 2014. Other Polish nominees have included Andrzej Wajda’s Katyń, Man of Iron, Agnieszka Holland’s Angry Harvest, and Pawlikowski’s latest film, Cold War.

TRAILER

 
CORPUS CHRISTI Crew Q&A | TIFF 2019

When the whole world is at odds and all seems lost, what is left?

Corpus Christi is the story of 20-year-old Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia, a major talent on the rise), who, after serving a sentence in a youth detention center for a violent crime, must face his inner demons while searching for redemption. Running from the troubles that haunt him and hiding from his past by posing as a priest in a small Polish town, Daniel is, clandestinely, given the chance for spiritual transformation.

Meanwhile, the arrival of this charismatic young preacher provides an opportunity for his divided flock to begin healing after a polarizing tragedy. But not everyone is capable of forgiveness or deliverance, and following the road to salvation can also lead one astray.

As his past sins catch up to his already heavy and burdened conscience, Daniel's intentions are murky and the haven of religion may prove to be more than just a spiritual escape.

Set in a country with increasingly blurred lines between church and state, Corpus Christi calls dogma and prostrating into question as Daniel's real test of faith ultimately presents itself at a moment when he's not at the altar.

Corpus Christi is the third feature by director Jan Komasa, whose disciplined and steadfast gaze makes for a gripping moral tale with effects that ripple beyond the screen, prompting reflection and soul searching. Can all be forgiven? Does everyone deserve a new beginning? And beyond that, does forgiveness come from above, or must it be sought within?