2027 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Corpus Christi’ Director Bea Lema

Corpus Christi is Bea Lema’s animated short about Adela, who turns to religion and folk rituals while feeling watched and harmed by an unseen presence. The film is Lema’s directorial debut and adapts

Outside the Clinic That Won’t Listen

Adela, the protagonist of the animated short Corpus Christi, believes that some entity harming her is present in her home and in her life. Properly understood neither by her family nor by a medical system that presents medication as the only solution, she feels that her experiences are accepted only through religion and folk rituals. Eventually, she visits a healer and confesses the moment her suffering began.

The Sensation of Anxiety Made with Embroidery

Bea Lema wrote and directed the film, adapting it into animation from her graphic novel of the same name. According to the Rotterdam International Film Festival’s description, the film addresses mental health and trauma through a visual style created with embroidery. Rather than reducing real suffering to a diagnosis or frightening imagery, it focuses on the language through which Adela receives the sensations she cannot explain.

A Short Story Between Horror and Care

The 13-minute film begins with the frightening premise that a demon is tormenting Adela’s home, but at its center lies the question, “Who will listen to her?” The comfort offered by the healer is not the same as a medical solution, and through the tension between the two approaches, the film reflects both attitudes toward suffering and the gaps in care. It was produced by UniKo and Abano Producións and distributed by Miyu Distribution.

Source: Cartoon Brew · IFFR film information · ZINEBI technical information