In Corpore

Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin’s drama, In Corpore, weaves together four chapters, each one following a young woman dealing with relationship problems. The co-writers and directors employ an anthological story structure, dividing each chapter, character, and country we end up visiting coherently with smooth transitions easing us into every new relational predicament. The drama in In Corpore is mostly effective by virtue of the dedicated performances, the intimate interiors of lived-in bedrooms, and the curiously unsaid words between malcontent lovers.

Julia (a convincingly tense Clara Francesca Pagone) is a New York artist visiting her friends and parents in Melbourne. Julia recently married an older man, and even when he’s not there, she fervently defends him at the dinner table from her wary parents. More importantly, Julia advocates for open marriages, tempting her to have intercourse with a longtime friend named Henri (Frank Fazio), to whom she still feels close.

“…each one following a young woman dealing with relationship problems.”

In Malta, Anna (an immensely eloquent Naomi Knight) is pressured by her family and husband, Manny (Christopher Dingli), to have children. However, Malta isn’t wholly prepared to do so after being married for only one year and unsure of what she wants in life. In Berlin, Rosalie (played by a versatile Sarah Timm, whose telling eyes steadily radiate her underlying choler) and Milana (a vulnerable Kelsey Gillis) are a lesbian couple on the verge of breaking up. A progressively splenetic Rosalie is resentful of Milana’s sexual escapades with other men for money, which is understandable, but the fashion in which Rosalie channels her anger is unhealthy and destructive. 

Back in New York City, Julia from the first chapter discloses her act of hollow infidelity to her husband, Patrick (Timothy McCown Reynolds), who reacts tetchily. Despite there being a verbal agreement between them of an open relationship. Julia is forced to reevaluate her relationship with Patrick after he becomes jealous and upset with her recent infidelity.