Cuerpo Celeste (Tribeca 2025) Review & Summary

Cuerpo Celeste challenges viewers immensely as it hooks you in with the sense of community it presents, and then forces you to yearn and mourn what it initially sold you on.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Cuerpo Celeste” Film Details

Summary

Celeste is a young woman who grew up in a close, extended family. Her parents were part of a large group, with boys her age, and everything was pretty ideal in the bubble they made. However, in one moment things changed, the group began to drift, and the boys who were like cousins, with the potential to be her first kiss or boyfriend, they found new lives, new people, and Celeste, throughout the movie, has to go from mourning what was, fantasizing about reviving it, to admiring the fossils and trying to find something new.

Cast and Characters

Celeste (Helen Mrugalski)

Celeste (Helen Mrugalski) in Cuerpo Celeste
Celeste (Helen Mrugalski)
  • Character Summary: At 15, Celeste is at that point in life where the first things you expect her to experience should be exhilarating, fun, and the type of things she laughs at or remembers fondly. However, life comes at her fast and makes it so that what was once possible seems unlikely, and we watch her struggle to deal with that.

Why Is “Cuerpo Celeste” Not Rated?

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
  • Violence:
    • Gore/ Blood: Light
    • Notable Violence: Fight Scene
  • Sexual Content:
    • Nudity: Mild
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Drinking: Yes
    • Drug Use: Smoking
    • Smoking: Yes

Links

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

The Sense Of Community Established In The Early ¼ Of The Movie [82/100]

While there is this ominous, “Things are way too perfect” feeling at the beginning of the movie, at the same time it is so alluring watching Celeste’s parents, her aunt, these boys that are part of her parents’ friend group all be together and give you this sense of community, or chosen family, a lot of people desire. Add in watching Celeste joke around with her mom and dad, her dad’s playfulness with her, and how they shout at the top of their lungs a site where her parents are discovering fossils, and there isn’t just this sense of love between them, but also freedom.

Then, expanding beyond the parents, while I’m not fond of harem or love triangles, there is something to watching Celeste become bashful as her father teases, or these boys show interest which doesn’t seem geared at who will sleep with Celeste first, but this sense that they all could fall for her and it is really up to who wins her heart. All of this combined makes you wonder how devastating it will be when something happens, since you know something has to ruin this – it is all far too perfect.

On The Fence

Once The Community Is Lost, In Many Ways, The Movie Becomes A Shell Of Itself [73/100]

When using the word “devastating” when talking about a film, usually it is about how you felt because an opportunity was lost, something that was being worked for didn’t turn out the way expected, someone died, broke up, things of that nature. Unfortunately for Cuerpo Celeste, the devastation does not come specifically from the community breaking apart, but rather from how the film proceeds afterwards.

Once, avoiding spoilers, something devastating happens to Celeste early on, there is a time jump, and the film doesn’t really recover. This group you fell in love with; each character becomes so distant that the initial investment you had can feel lost. Thus forcing you to try to get hooked once again and know names, faces, and what they can not only mean to Celeste, but also to you.

However, in many ways, you get into the feelings of Celeste. Things clearly aren’t the same, yet you yearn for it. You want to see her with the boy she liked, who introduced her to smoking weed. There is this desire to see her reconnect with the guy who was playful and called her his cousin. There is a massive amount of wanting, sometimes aching to recapture that magic, but it sadly never comes back.

Now, thankfully, the movie isn’t notably long. Still, as its potential to recover your attention dissipates, similar to Celeste at times, you can find yourself feigning desire, wanting to tap into that last bit of hope, yet constantly expecting disappointment.

Overall

Our Rating (77/100): Mixed (Divisive)

Cuerpo Celeste begins with a captivating portrayal of community, love, and the warmth of chosen family that draws you in immediately. The bond between Celeste, her parents, and their extended circle feels authentic and idyllic—so much so that it makes you nervous about what’s to come. Yet, it is because of the early portion’s charm, the possibilities presented, and the emotional openness between characters that you want to invest in what is initially sold, for it all seems too perfect.

However, once that fragile sense of perfection is shattered, the film struggles to regain its footing. Add in a time jump that alters the emotional landscape, and while this may allow you to empathize with Celeste’s sense of disconnection and loss, it creates a sense of distance with the majority of characters and, potentially, for some, the film.

For what was once an ensemble you wanted to spend time with becomes a cast of strangers, and the emotional investment fades, making it so, while the film may still carry a strong undercurrent of longing—both from Celeste and the viewer—it doesn’t quite rebuild what it broke—ultimately, leaving Cuerpo Celeste as a film that starts strong but ends up asking you to mourn what could have been, alongside its lead character.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.