Title: In Corpore
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Directors: Sarah Jayne, Ivan Malekin
Starring: Clara Francesca, Naomi Knight, Kelsey Grills, Sarah Timm, Frank Fazio
Runtime: 1hr 40min

What It Is: 4 transcontinental anthological stories about different relationships, fruitful or decaying, and how each of them evolves for better or worse.

What We Think: I really wanted to like this one. The logline interested me quite a bit and had me excited to see not just actors acting in different languages, but also to see how couples are portrayed in different countries. However, the execution of that (hopefully) proposed idea was not that well thought out. In Corpore looks like it has a lot of effort put into it and it’s clearly an independent production. As I’ve stated in prior reviews, in these cases I tend to look at the literal substance as opposed to the technical (which. The film is mostly shot at a low shutter speed (making everyone and everything moves like molasses), with barely any attention to coloring or lighting (very harsh blues and greens), which contributes greatly to the film’s pacing.

The film is almost 2 hours in length, yet it felt like 4. It also took quite a bit for me to get even a little invested in the characters. Speaking of the characters… I just did not care about any of them. The performances by the cast are mostly good and there is one very notable argument scene that (unfortunately) occurs near the end of the film. But the writing here is, at its very best, decent. It’s trying to make us feel compelled but it doesn’t make us feel compelled. There’s also times where unnecessary lines of dialogue (almost unwillingly) lengthen scenes, an example being:

“he’s coming for the opening”

“The opening?”

“yeah”

“He’s here for your opening? (beat) Is that what you’re saying?”

Hopefully, that excerpt from one of the film’s scenes can give you an idea of how this film is structured. It’s got a great concept and a lot of really good potential threads (one I wish was explored more was that of a lesbian couple) but it’s ultimately (and sadly) bogged down by a bunch of “I say this” “Well did you say that” “Yes I did” and “I hate you” “No I hate YOU” scenes. The conversations between characters, in the end, come off like a revolving hotel door that always takes you outside rather than in.

Our Grade: D+, In Corpore feels a lot like one of the first films I reviewed here, Enthusiastic Sinners. I understand what it’s going for, but the execution of the story is poorly done and the story itself is stretched out far too long. The performances are good and if you want to give it a try, go ahead. But it really disappointed me.