Agnes de Dios

Three actresses shine in this hit stage play turned into a movie. "Agnes of God" focuses on the story of isolated nuns in a convent in Canada. A young naive nun named Agnes (Meg Tilly) somehow conceives a child, giving birth, and the baby ends up dead. Finding out what happened here is the job of a somewhat jaded and burned out psychiatrist (Jane Fonda). The psychiatrist seems to have a bit of an ax to grind against the Catholic Church and in particular the way the Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft) has shielded the young nun. The film is absorbing in the way it weaves this story - showing that everyone, including the church, has secrets. The Mother Superior tries to convince the psychiatrist that Agnes is "touched by God" and that he permitted the conception. Just how she did conceive is never explained -leaving it up to the viewer to decide. Meg Tilly is excellent in a very early film role, and Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft are at their best locking horns over what to do about Agnes. The film shows both the beauty of the Catholic Church and its reputation for secrecy.

A young nun (Meg Tilly, Oscar-nominated) is discovered one night with a dead baby and it appears that it is a new-born. How can this be though as the nun is supposedly a virgin and showed no signs of even being pregnant? Enter psychiatrist Jane Fonda who is sent to examine the highly mysterious and secretive Tilly. Fonda immediately locks horns with mother superior Anne Bancroft (Oscar-nominated) as Bancroft feels that the outside world has no right to disturb anyone in the convent. Fonda tries to help Tilly who appears to have a problem distinguishing between reality and fantasy. A really tense film that will keep you guessing until the very end. The screenplay is smart and Norman Jewison does another fine directing job here. The film is flawed in many areas and could even be considered very negative towards the Catholic Church, but it is still a production that is worth a look. 4 stars out of 5.

Young nun in a convent, so enamored with her Savior that she seems to be in a lovestruck daze, may or may not have killed an infant. Anne Bancroft is the Mother Superior, Jane Fonda is the investigating psychiatrist (every movie should have one), and Meg Tilly is the enchanting yet frustrating nun whom nobody can budge with common sense. Adapted from the kind of stage-play that doesn't go over well in high schools, "Agnes of God" (terrible title!) is sort of the flip-side to "Rosemary's Baby", an unsettling, overwrought exercise for thespians to display their range. What's amazing is that these actresses carve out interesting characterizations within the hoked-up, hysterical scenario. They can't possibly believe these goings-on, but they give it conviction, particularly Fonda, sterling as usual. Bancroft shines in one particular scene, again hoked-up, where she sneaks a cigarette; it's a cliché, but it's the relief the picture needs. Tilly is aggravatingly bright and beguiling. By the third act, the film has pretty much self-destructed, yet there's not much satisfaction in the answers given to us. **1/2 from ****

I find it odd that I have never heard of this film before tonight. Sure, I was only a child when it was released, but since the film has many good qualities I would have thought I'd heard about it anyway. "Agnes of God" is a very interesting drama about a nun who, apparently, has murdered her new-born child. Meg Tilly is sensational as Agnes! I've never been more impressed by her. The film is even quite suspenseful at times and you have a lot to think about after the movie has ended. The cinematography is great (which is no surprise when Sven Nykvist is involved) and the score is beautiful. "Agnes of God" is a very good film.

This is a superb film. It has great performances, specially from Meg Tilly, as the young nun who has fallen from grace. Neither she, the rest of the sisters, or the psychiatrist sent to investigate the case, can find a satisfactory explanation. What really impressed me about this movie is the way it confronts religious beliefs with skepticism, confrontation that, in turn, is transmitted to the viewer with all its questions. Is what happened a big lie, just the product of the imagination -or distorted faith- of a young woman?. Is it all God's plan?. If it is so, did he make a mistake?. Is it all a miracle gone wrong?