If the Oscar-winning “Parasite” feels like it has the potential to change the landscape for subtitled films in the United States, “Corpus Christi,” which lost to “Parasite” in the best international feature category, plays like more of a throwback to a time when subtitles signified stark seriousness. Shot in a grim, desaturated palette, this Polish film, directed by Jan Komasa, addresses big issues of conscience and morality. The symbolism (a simple sawmill worker becomes a carpenter-Christ figure) is blunt; the drama is straightforward.

Citing inspiration in real events, the movie follows Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia), a prisoner who wants to enroll in a seminary. A chaplain tells him he won’t get admitted as an ex-convict. But after being released, Daniel plays hooky from his new job and wanders into a nearby church, where he claims to be a priest — and soon ends up serving as a substitute.