ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Davidson Film Club to Screen “Corpus Christi”
The Davidson Film Club invites you to a Zoom discussion of the Oscar-nominated Polish film, “Corpus Christi,” winner of 52 prizes and another 53 nominations in international competitions, on Saturday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m.
“This is a blistering drama, intense, disturbing and inescapably thought-provoking.” Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Directed by Jan Komasa
Poland (2019, 1h55)
In Polish w/English subtitles
This is the fourth film in our Virtual Cinema series of Extraordinary Figures Struggling to Survive.
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 97%!
*Trigger warning: this film contains one scene of physical violence.
*Please click on the following link to join the discussion of Corpus Christi on Zoom this Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m.: https://davidson.zoom.
Discussion will be led by John Carter, who holds a Master’s degree in Christian Spirituality from Loyola University and has been a very active parishioner and leader at St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville for decades.
There is no membership fee for this program, only the modest cost of the on-line film rental (see below) that yields no revenue to the Davidson Film Club.
Film Summary:
Corpus Christi is the story of a 20-year-old Daniel who experiences a spiritual transformation while living in a Youth Detention Center in Warsaw. He wants to become a priest, but this is impossible because of his criminal record. When he is paroled and sent to work at a carpenter’s workshop in a small town, he dresses up as a priest on arrival and by a strange set of circumstances 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.
In addition to its nomination for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, Corpus Christi won the Best Film Prize at the Venice Film Festival plus another 48 wins and 19 nominations, including multiple Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor awards at International Film Festivals around the world.
“Corpus Christi” may be rented on Amazon Prime for $2.99 (HD)
OR on Vudu for $3.99
https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Corpus-Christi/1338902
A trailer is available on both of the above websites if you would like to take a quick peak.
“Corpus Christi” is also available on Netflix by mail (not streaming), but we are sending this announcement out early enough for you to order the DVD if you are a Netflix by mail subscriber.
Film Critics Say:
“Each of us is the priest of Christ,” a juvenile detention center priest tells the members of his wayward flock, advice one of them takes very literally to heart in the Polish drama Corpus Christi [. . .]. This is a complex character full of layers and contradictions – Christy Lemire, Roger Ebert.com
“Engrossing all the way through, the film tells a riveting story based on true facts, focusing on an empathetic young inmate whose religious beliefs take him to miraculous places.” – Filipe Freitas, Always Good Movies
“While it’s not an easy watch, Jan Komasa’s film is an emotional powerhouse that will leave viewers rattled.” – Christopher Schobert, Buffalo News
“A quite interesting and irresistible movie, a sort of cross between Paul Schrader’s recent film of spiritual crisis, First Reformed, and Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can.” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
“Directed by Jan Komasa in only his third feature and starring a complexly compelling Bartosz Bielenia, this is a blistering drama, intense, disturbing and inescapably thought-provoking, a film that gets its power from a merging of potent opposites
[. . .]. On one side are all the elements of a classic thriller: agonizing tension, the constant air of potential doom, the sense that anything could happen at any moment to bring on chaos and ruin. But these qualities cluster not around questions of espionage, violent crime or high-stakes robbery but rather ideas that are unapologetically philosophical [. . .]. The thrilling narrative power of complex moral decisions is simply not to be denied.” Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
We are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization run by volunteers that only exists to bring you fine international fiction films and engage in stimulating discussion about them. Hope to see many of you on Zoom on Saturday, September 26, for the discussion of this powerful, intense reflection on identity, religion, and redemption. Share the Zoom link with your friends! There is no charge by the Film Club, and there is room for everyone!
For more information, please contact Alan Singerman, President, Davidson Film Club, [email protected], (336) 751-2746
P.S. If you are on Facebook, please take a moment to “Like” and “Share” with your friends our announcement of this film on the Davidson Film Club page. And thanks for spreading the good word!
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