CORPUS

The quietly horrifying cold open of CORPUS is quickly replaced by a REAL WORLD-esque title sequence and the grimy, pulsing late 1990s club scene in NYC.

Sayo, equal parts photographer and coke dealer, and his friends, trust fund baby Ross and the scene’s hottest new model Vince, enjoy a sweaty, sexually-charged night clubbing and reconnecting in Sayo’s dark room, before heading out to an exclusive, secluded modelling industry party at Vince’s insistence.

From the blood-soaked opening moments at the remote estate, it’s clear nothing this weekend will be as advertised. The promised industry professionals turn out to be one well-known photographer, Billie, and her sapphic housemates, the elderly Cata and amateur poultry farmer Wren. The awkward introductions quickly become a series of sensual dinners, absinthe-fueled debauchery, midnight skinny dipping, and philosophical conversations around a bonfire.

Balancing escalating sexual tension with a pervasive sense of unease, Corrin Evans makes her feature film directorial debut with a script co-written with Lily Cowles, delivering subdued tension and nuanced queer characters. Paired with beautiful visuals that are equally gory and erotic, CORPUS culminates in a frenetic and surprising third act that scratches an itch you didn’t know you had and lingers in the back of your mind long after the final credits roll. (KEV DOOLEY)