Exclusive Interview: Corrin Evans and Michael Vlamis on the Provocative World of ‘Corpus’ and Letting Audiences Draw Their Own Conclusions

The beauty of the independent film circuit lies in discovery: encountering films that feel destined to spark conversation and emerging voices poised to shape what comes next. Corpus embodies that promise in co-writer and director Corrin Evans, a filmmaker with the confidence to provoke without prescribing. Through a striking visual language and a story that moves between desire, discomfort, and the supernatural, Corrin creates a world that trusts audiences to navigate its ambiguities on their own terms, finding meaning in what is shown, what is withheld, and everything that exists in between.

Set in 1990s New York City, Corpus follows Sayo, a photographer and small-time drug dealer who travels upstate with his longtime friend and unrequited love, rising movie star Vince Marlowe, and their rowdy friend Ross for what they expect will be a weekend of summer debauchery. Their destination, a remote, antiquated manor, quickly proves to be anything but an ordinary New York City party. As reality begins to blur with something far stranger, the film explores yearning, desire, friendship, and the complicated dynamics that bind its characters together. Among its compelling ensemble is Michael Vlamis, who delivers a layered performance as Ross, finding unexpected vulnerability and humanity beneath the character’s bravado.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Corrin Evans and Michael Vlamis about bringing the provocative world of Corpus to life, the experiences that have shaped them as artists, and the creative freedom they find in independent filmmaking. They also discussed building histories that extend beyond what audiences see on screen, the subtle visual and performance details that reward a second viewing, and the importance of trusting viewers to draw their own conclusions.

PC: Corrin, one of the things I found so compelling about the script you and Lily [Cowles] created is how much it trusts the audience. The world feels so fully realized, yet you never stop to explain every detail or answer every question, which makes it all the more immersive. Did that same philosophy carry over into your work with the cast? How much of the world’s history and each character’s backstory was mapped out versus left for the actors to interpret, and how did you find that balance?
Corrin: A lot of the backstory was mapped out. I’m sure Michael can speak to this too. When Lily and I were writing, there was so much more that we fleshed out that isn’t explicitly explained to the audience. Instead, it’s hinted at through the production design, the way the characters interact with each other, what you’re seeing, and their emotional reactions. As a viewer, that’s something I’ve always really loved and wanted to create with Corpus.

This could just be my perception, and I could be making it all up, but sometimes when I’m watching a movie, I get the feeling that the writer or director doesn’t actually know what the backstory is. Certain things are put there, and it’s like, “That’s fine.” I could be totally wrong, but I can sometimes feel that. Then there are movies where I can tell that the writers and actors know exactly what’s going on, even if they’re not telling me everything, and that makes me want to lean in. That’s what Lily and I tried to do when we were writing.

That carried over into directing the film and working with the actors. There was so much about these characters and their backstories that we all talked through. Some of it came from me and Lily, but a lot of it came from the cast as well. Every single cast member did so much work on their character, the story, and their relationships with each other.

Even though this was a question for me, I feel like it’s also a question for Michael, if I can kick it to him.

Michael: Kick it! It was insane how much backstory they gave me for my character. It got to the point where it felt like it could exist as a whole other movie. If they ever did a prequel, they already have it mapped out.

Having all of that helped a lot, especially because of the body swapping. When you’re taking on this new person, who’s actually in the body? Is it the person we’ve been watching on screen the entire movie, or is it somebody from hundreds of years ago? What was the dynamic between the three women? They had all of that mapped out.

As a viewer, I’m a fan of a little nudge here and there from a filmmaker, but once there’s too much hand-holding, it’s not fun anymore. When we watched the movie at Fantasia, you get that cold opening, and then the characters are introduced later. You also have that beautiful mask element. I could see people’s wheels turning. They were leaning in, paying attention, and understanding that there’s something being presented to them. You may not know what’s going on yet, but you’re more of an active participant. I think the film works really well in that way.

Corrin: I think it creates rewatchability.

PC: That was exactly what I was going to say. I feel like this is a film where you see all the little details that you missed the first time when you go back and rewatch it. Michael, you’ve mentioned that you received an early draft of the script before coming on as Ross, and it took you on such a wide emotional journey. As you were reading it for the first time, was there a particular scene or moment where you thought, “This is really going to challenge me as an actor,” and you couldn’t wait to dive into it?
Michael: Yes! [laughs] It’s the crazy scene that kicks off the third act. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s so satisfying to experience it for the first time. All of these pieces suddenly come together, and you go, “Ah. This is what we’ve been watching.”

I remember texting them after I read it. I’ve known Lily for a long time, but I didn’t know Corrin too well at the time. I know her very well now. [laughs] I said to them, “This scene made me sick to my stomach, but it also made me so horny.”

Watching it, I felt the same way, and I could tell the audience did too. That scene between Billie and Ross is one of the best things I’ve ever done, to be honest. Between the aesthetic, the nuance of the performances, and all of these complications within the narrative finally coming to a head, there’s so much happening in that moment. It’s a special scene.

PC: That’s a testament to the creative team. I remember watching that scene and having to look away because I had no idea where it was going. I thought it was heading in one direction, and then it went somewhere completely unexpected. That’s true of the entire film. Even when you’re in the third act, you’re still trying to piece together what’s happening. Corrin, your cast has spoken about knowing that when they’re working with you, you’re going to make them look good. You pair that trust with such a striking visual language, where every frame feels incredibly intentional and haunting. It’s remarkable what you were able to accomplish on an independent production without the luxury of endless time or takes…
Corrin: No time. Michael can tell you. How many takes did you get, like three max? [laughs]

Michael: Three max. [laughs]

PC: Looking back on your career, what experiences have had the biggest influence on how you approach filmmaking today, and where do you think those lessons are most evident in this film?
Corrin: I used to have this business doing actor demo reels. For people who don’t know what that is, actors who have not yet worked on screen will pay companies to basically film these quick, one- to two-minute scenes of them. My writing partner at the time, Maddie McGuire, and I had this company called Red Mouse. She has an amazing podcast now called Get Messy with Maddie.

Either I would shoot them or my friend Justin would. He’d sometimes come over from Washington to help us. But it was sometimes just me, him, and Maddie as the crew. So I would be operating the camera as well as lighting the scene. A few times, I ran sound while operating the camera, which was unhinged. [laughs] There were also times when I had to do some of these as a solo crew.

It was those experiences. I would also edit them and do the sound design, very poorly. [laughs] But through the years, having to do that over and over again and take something from script to final product for a paying client, these people are paying us to do this, and we’re delivering it. We had to reshoot one once, only once, thank God. That had the biggest influence on the craft and the pace at which we had to shoot. It was the pace that I knew was going to happen on an independent feature film, where we only shot for twenty-one and a half days. That’s had the biggest impact.

Then visually, it was from watching movies over the years and seeing what I like and what I don’t like. I also used to work as a figure model for a lot of painters, so I was always around them and sculptors, thinking about light and how things look on the natural body because I was a nude model.

I also do performance that deals with eroticism in the body as a performer. So I would say that influences it a lot. But in terms of the visuals, it’s photographers that I love. A lot of them were working in the early ’90s and 2000s. I’m a child of the ’90s. So a lot of those images influenced me.

PC: Also, congratulations on your feature film debut as a director. It’s quite the statement. Michael, there’s almost this performative quality to Ross within the Golden Triangle. He’s presenting one version of himself, but those relationships also bring out his insecurities and moments of vulnerability in a way that feels so human. How did you approach finding that balance in your performance, and how did working with Brodie [Townsend] and Jeff [Wahlberg] help bring out those different sides of Ross?
Michael: We didn’t have a lot of time to shoot, but we got to New York about five weeks early, so we had time to hang out and bond. Some of my favorite memories from set are actually after those long days. We would sit around, talk about the day and what we learned, shoot the sh*t, and just hang out. They became my buddies. We all have a similar sense of humor, or maybe a similar perversion. [laughs] I don’t know, but we got along, trusted each other, and had a lot of fun.

We had different dynamics off screen and on screen, and having that relationship off screen made everything a lot easier. At the end of the day, all I’m doing in each scene is honoring what Corrin and Lily put on the page. They gave Ross those different dimensions. He has moments where he’s being performative, and I would say that guy is extremely performative. But then you see who he is when that falls away.

There’s a scene that I know Corrin has always loved, and I do too, where he’s alone with Sayo and Vince is puking. We have this really genuine moment there. Yes, this guy is absolutely ridiculous, but he’s also a good friend. He’s there for his friends. People are complicated. I can’t stand when you’re watching a stereotype on screen, or there’s a bad guy in a movie and he’s bad the entire time. Even the worst people have insecurities or can show love to certain people in certain moments. That’s really important.

PC: Corrin, Corpus explores yearning, desire, and everything that comes with those emotions in such a nuanced way. Why did that naturally lend itself to this blend of psychological horror, thriller, and relationship drama, and what did those genres allow you to explore that a more conventional drama couldn’t?
Corrin: It’s interesting. When we were writing Corpus, I was in this space mentally where spirituality, physicality, reality, and unreality were all blending together in a lot of the things I was making. Lily and I had made a short that she wrote that existed somewhere between dream and reality. I had also just made several shorts that I had written and directed that had similar qualities, where the ethereal was meeting the natural world.

When something isn’t entirely grounded in reality, you have the opportunity to evoke different emotions and create a sense of wonder for the audience. I also think fantasy can create a certain separation between the audience and the pain. Not that I was consciously trying to do that, but you can explore emotional extremes through fantasy in a way that hits differently than it would in a straightforward drama.

If I’m being totally honest, I have other scripts that are much more devastating and upsetting that are straightforward dramas. A lot of people have told me over the years, “Corrin, you’ve got to lead us in with something a little lighter for your first feature.” [laughs] I don’t know if that seeped into my mind after hearing it for years and years, with people telling me that I’m attracted to such heavy work.

Then, when I collaborated with Lily on this script, she brought such a great sense of humor and lightness to it. It became this great combination of our two sensibilities and birthed something we were both interested in, which was the supernatural. We were both very religious, so there’s this attraction to the supernatural that can naturally come from that. Or sometimes maybe you hate it because, f*ck that noise. [laughs]

PC: Michael, you’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What keeps drawing you back to independent filmmaking, and what did making Corpus teach you that you’ll carry into your next project?
Michael: After I did The Odyssey, I thought I would only do films that were $250 million or greater. [laughs] Honestly, what draws me to any project has nothing to do with the size. I care about the team, and I care about working with friends. Obviously, I didn’t have any friends on The Odyssey, but there were other things that drew me to that, like getting to work with these legends.

Working with friends, though, is one of the most fulfilling things for me. That’s how I started. I got a video camera in second grade, and every weekend, my friends and I would make shorts together. Independent filmmaking takes me back to being that kid. I don’t care if my dressing room is a closet. I don’t care if I don’t have a dressing room. All I care about is that we’re making something cool, having a good time, and pushing ourselves.

The indie circuit, just like Corrin making all of her shorts, is run-and-gun. You get it done. That’s what we’re used to, and there’s an adrenaline rush that comes with it, especially when you’re doing it with people you love and trust. That’s really hard to replace or find elsewhere. I love it all.

Corrin: It’s so amazing to work with actors who are also filmmakers because they understand what I’m going through. You get it.

Michael: I’m always trying to make your job easier on set.

Corrin: And you do.

Michael: Good. That means a lot.

PC: Final question for both of you. Another thing I really appreciated about Corpus is that it’s a film that reveals something new with each rewatch. Is there a detail, performance choice, or piece of the world-building that you hope audiences pick up on the second time around that they might not catch on a first viewing?
Michael: I saw an early rough cut, but the first time I saw the completed film was at Fantasia. I went to both screenings, so the second one felt like my first real rewatch. I was picking up on so many of the subtleties, like how the women were touching and treating each other and the way Corrin and Charlie [Cole], the DP, were shooting Vince. There were so many things I noticed that I hadn’t picked up on the first time.

Obviously, I know what’s going to happen from reading the script and being in the film, but there’s something about the way this world positions you as a viewer. It’s telling you what’s going to happen without actually telling you at all. Even with something as small as a touch on the arm, you’re like, “Okay, I see what’s happening. Here we go.” Those subtleties were the most fun for me.

Corrin: One thing that I think would be fun on a rewatch, if audiences feel so inclined, is paying attention to the production design and looking for all the details in Sadra’s [Tehrani] work. Sadra created such a rich world. Every object you see was brought in by our art department. We weren’t shooting in furnished spaces. These were empty spaces that they completely transformed through the design.

The manor was essentially a shell when we got there. They painted it and brought every single piece into that space. It was the same thing with the club. That was an empty space, so they brought in all the fence pieces and the DJ booth. They even built the coat check in this random concrete room.

When you get to the manor, there are so many fun details. I think if you took note of everything you’re seeing, you could actually start piecing together what’s going to happen based on the paintings on the walls and the objects throughout the house. Sadra and his team did such an incredible job of filling out that world.

I love Sadra, and I think everybody should work with him. Except I don’t actually want that because I need him to be available for all of my movies. [laughs] But that’s a huge highlight for me.

I don’t think this is a spoiler, but in the scene between Vince and Cata, there are two paintings that Vince looks at. One is the Lamb of God, Agnus Dei, the sacrificial lamb, and the other is Narcissus looking at himself in the pool. Vince’s eyes move between those two paintings, and Brodie improvised that. He was like, “That’s cool.” It’s so subtle, but whenever I rewatch it, I’m like, “Oh my God.”

Michael: Something else that was interesting was the response to the humor. We had sales agents and other people who had watched a screener alone, and after seeing it with an audience, they came out of each screening saying, “I had no idea how funny the film was.”

As a viewer, I want to encourage people that it’s okay to laugh because the theater was laughing their asses off throughout the film. Obviously, it gets very tense, but moving in and out of that tension makes the viewing experience even more fun. I think people will register more of that on a rewatch. It was pretty surprising how many people were picking up on all of those comedic beats in the theater.

Corrin: I was hoping they would! We thought about that a lot in the edit and in the sound design with Eli [Cohn]. We were always talking about whether there might be a laugh somewhere and whether we should leave space for it or not. Intentionally, sometimes we left that space and sometimes we didn’t because there are things you might not pick up on comedically until the second watch.

But Chlamydia-gate got a laugh. I was like, “Wait a second, that line is so quiet.” But in a theater, you hear it.

Michael: Right. It’s like a throwaway line off screen.

Corrin: I love when directors like Lars von Trier do that. I just rewatched The House That Jack Built the other night, and it’s ragingly funny. But it takes you a second to realize that it’s okay to laugh because you’re watching a serial killer movie.

With Corpus, I got some notes during early feedback screenings from other editors who were like, “Maybe you should change the sound because people aren’t going to understand that it’s okay to laugh if the sound isn’t indicating it.” But I was like, “No, tonally, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

You make that choice as an audience. I’m not going to make that choice for you. You get to decide what you think is funny and what isn’t.

Make sure to follow Corrin (Instagram) and Michael (X/Instagram).

Photo Credit: Ethan Guice (Corrin)