Pastor o impostor

Peter is a man with serious character defects who has been released from a juvenile facility. He finds himself at a small town Catholic church where he dons a priest's collar and becomes a beloved charismatic leading his adoring flock. The Polish Peyton Place slowly reveals its' secrets as the good "father" hears confessions from the flock and performs masses with inspiring homily's. As a lapsed Catholic, I found the film very realistic and sentimental. The lead actor is excellent and I would place it just behind "Parasite" as the best foreign language movie of 2019.

I finally got the chance to see Corpus Christi, the Oscar nominated movie from Poland for best international feature film, and it did come up to my expectations, so beautiful and very well made. First, the story (which is a true story) is so interesting and captivating, keeps you fully involved the whole time and tackles many values like spirituality and sins. It triggers your thinking on so many levels mainly about the good that could come from a bad person and vice versa. In addition to the story, the movie is so decently made. The cinematography is amazing with many stunning frames and so is the directing. The screenplay is brilliantly beautiful. And the main actor's performance is so solid and superb and so is everyone else. Also, the cast, the locations, the town all are great for the theme and mood of the movie. Corpus Christi is easily one of the best foreign language films and one of the best movies ever. I can't recommend it enough. Thanks to the Oscar nom that made me see this film and fall in love with it, much love to the European cinema in general from Lebanon- Middle East.

This film could easily slide into an anecdote about a disguise that causes real change. However, it is a perfectly told film that asks important questions about the place of spirituality in a person's life, and about the chance to make amends. Contrary to being embedded in the reality of the Catholic Church in Poland, it is a universal challenge for viewers who are not afraid to check whether a bad person can do good things and what is the value of spiritual transformation committed for low motives. Greatly played by a couple of young, yet experienced actors Eliza Rycembel and Bartosz Bielenia, while the rest of the cast creates a perfect background for the small-town world, which, although on the outskirts, is not a province.

A simple plot summary (Juvenile delinquent poses as priest, transforms village) does not begin to describe the nuanced and complex moral dilemma explored in "Corpus Christi," Poland's 2019 entry into the Oscar race. Violence, nudity, sexuality, and vulgarity--that in another film might seem gratuitous--here remind us that the world is full of angry people whose religiosity is more rooted in revenge than redemption. The central question: Is the road to love, forgiveness, and salvation more navigable when mapped by a man who wills himself into the priesthood and defies blind obedience than it is when directed by soulless compliance? Prepare yourself for a shocking and perplexing answer. Extraordinary performances, direction, and cinematography.

This is the kind of movie that captivated me from start to finish. The story itself unbelievable as it may seem is actually based on a real story of young man from the Masovian voivodeship. I will not spoil any of it and will just say that 'Corpus Christi' touches on important matters and values and it's main message translates to 'love thy neighbor'. Amazing performance by the main actor and I loved the camera work. Highly recommended by a non-practitioning catholic.