- Date of Release: 09 June 2025
- Genre: Drama
- Language: Spanish
- Watch On: Tribeca Film Festival
Cuerpo Celeste
Introduction
The contrasting arcs of a personal transition and a political transition are evident in the new Spanish film Cuerpo Celeste. But ironically, both have a single common point of glee that kick starts the drama. The setting remains a beautiful Chilean beach with the sands glistening, the sun shining and the waves exuding a fresh sense of freedom, even as you are introduced to the young 15-year old protagonist Celeste (Helena Mrugalski) who is shown to spend some valuable time with her family. The occasion remains New Year’s Eve with an added political undertone of Chile finally branching out of the Pinochet-led dictatorship, even as a new dawn awaits their people, both literally and figuratively. The drama is heavy-coded in the I’m Still Here (2024; Winner – Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars of 2025) setup, wherein the positivity of the setup almost acts as a sign for omen to strike. Ironically, both these films have a similar cold open in a similar political landscape, that also has a tragedy tagged to it. Yet, the bracket that Cuerpo Celeste wishes to restrict itself in, is a coming of age drama with only the undertones of politics that essentially remains unsaid and in the background.
Story & Screenplay
In Cuerpo Celeste, the characterization of Celeste plays an important part. Like any teenager, Celeste remains aloof to the politics of her nation, often being cotton-wooled and protected by her near and dear ones. It all adds up to her perception of viewing the world in a particular manner, something that you even witness in the cold open. The beaches, the mountains and the sand, all act as symbols of joy for Celeste, even as she is witness to freedom in the air. The warmth of her family is often also extended in the form of love and friendship towards Jano (Nicholas Contreras) and Simon (Clemente Rodriguez). There are unspoken glances simmering in a beautiful moment of first love, that often overpowers the understated sense of darkness that engulfs the narrative. This darkness is only momentarily surfaced through fleeting conversations that threaten to transform Celeste’s life into a Shakespearean tragedy. And rightly so at the end of the first act, tragedy strikes in Celeste’s personal space!
The coming of age angle for Celeste literally is forced onto her overnight. It is almost as if Celeste isn’t mentally ready for the transformation even as her mother (Daniela Ramirez) has to send her packing to her aunt (Mariana Loyola) in the wake of the tragedy. There is reluctance and frustration for Celeste, having to relocate to a place that is increasingly alien to her. Suddenly, even the driver’s seat that she once occupied with her father is now vacant, even as she is instructed not to drive. There is an aching presence that you witness in Celeste’s eyes that tell you a story about loss and mourning, even as she carries her family photograph as a prized relic to denote her happy times.
The drama also focuses on the family dynamics between Celeste and her mother, that remains bittersweet. There is an instant friction on the part of Celeste that doesn’t fully allow her to invest in her bond with her mother, a figure that slowly becomes alien to her much like her changed surroundings. In the meanwhile, her bond with Jano finds a new wave, almost signifying that life will go on, even if one chooses to hold onto the past. This, while the political angle of the country fresh out of a dictatorship is kept at a distance, a trend that also extends to Celeste being ignorant about Jano’s involvement with the drug mafia.
An event of a solar eclipse in her home town, forces Celeste to make her way back to her childhood home. And this is where she expects to relive the memories of her past, in a place that is rather familiar to her. She wishes to rely on her memories to trigger her happy times with her family, until the surroundings act as a tragedy for Celeste too. The beaches, the sand, the sun, the water, everything begins to feel alien to her, almost triggering a gut-wrenching feeling that is hard to brush away. The trajectory for Celeste is diabolically opposite to Eunice (Fernanda Torres) from I’m Still Here (2025), simply because of the political undertones that were more pronounced in the latter. And herein lies the little criticism with respect to the film – I would have liked the political undertones to be a little more pronounced for a deeper impact on me.
Sure, we get to witness Chile’s dark past being excavated from beaches and roads that are reduced to the background. But, it needed to be a little more defined in order to claim a direct impact on Celeste, even as the personal and political fate of two entities are shown to be intertwined. A nation is slowly drifting away from the dark pasts, and a daughter is slowly coming to terms with the harsh reality of life – that life can be dark, very dark…..but you still need to move on and start afresh. For Celeste, her depressive reality directly coincides with the pain endured for her country. And that sums up the screenplay that is well written with a little scope for improvement in the political undertones of the land.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
There is a faint streak of darkness that laces the more superior streak of a tragedy through the lines. As a result, even though the lines are conversational, there is an aching feeling that you feel while Celeste finds her way around life and various characters. The hollow feeling is aptly represented through the lines. The sound design relies on the raw surroundings but there is a whiff of change that you notice as the drama progresses. The joyous sounds of the waves touching the sound or the birds chirping in the distance just don’t feel the same, given how the drama unfolds through the gaze of its young protagonist, who feels a change around her for the first time. The cinematography is beautiful here with wide angle shots that capture the picturesque locations of a Chilean beach and neighbourhood. Notice the use of natural lighting here – it uses sunlight as a virtue for joy and happiness at the start that coincides with the start of the new dawn for the country, only to transition to shades of grey and muted colour grading with less use of natural light to excavate the dark realities of life as seen through the gaze of Celeste. The editing is leisurely, allowing the drama to linger on while maintaining a thread for emotions to unfold. Director Nayra Ilic has a muted narrative style of allowing the viewers to befriend its protagonist, by accompanying her on a journey, and in its process allowing a sneak peek into her psyche. There is an aching atmosphere that plagues the narrative, something that is beautifully curated by the director, almost allowing raw emotions to linger over a period of time. If anything, the political undertones could have been a little more pronounced even if it had to unfold through the gaze of a 15 year old. But overall, the direction is exquisite here, in a niche piece of art that deserves admiration.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Nicholas Contreyas as Jano is quietly charming although a character who is flawed by his own surroundings. And he delivers a wonderful little act. Mariana Loyola as Celeste’s aunt is understated and has her moments to shine. Daniela Ramirez is a character that is going through pain of her own following a tragedy that also was personal to her. Both Celeste and her mother (Daniela) are similar characters at different stages of the age demographic, something that forces the latter to act differently. And Daniela has a measured approach that allows room for empathy, while putting forth a commendable act. Helen Mruganski as Celeste delivers a brilliant performance that continues to haunt you, days after the film had ended. She uses her expressions, body languages and eyes to such good effect, subtly shifting the language of her character in a steady and gradual manner throughout the drama. She touches upon the right set of emotions to depict her vulnerability and pain, that binds the narrative together, thereby signalling an excellent performance presented in the most grounded manner possible.
Conclusion
As a part of our Tribeca Film Festival coverage, Cuerpo Celeste is an aching coming of age tale with solid performances that makes for a bittersweet watch.
