Agnès de Dieu

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.

Mysteries arise because there's a lack of understanding as to how something happened. Depending on the situation, the mystery may be present due to the absence of witnesses. Or if people were around, the logical understanding behind what happened may not make sense. However, things can get even more baffling when it comes to faith based mysteries. The reason for this being that some may not feel there are logical answers to such phenomena. This unfortunately, becomes hard to make a case during court trials, paperwork and other such legal processes. That leads us to this particular film which deals with such a unique scenario that does not have an easily discernible answer.

The story originally written for stage plays, is about novice nun Agnes (Meg Tilly) who is found with a dead newborn in her convent. The head of the convent, Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft) is assigned psychiatrist Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) to understand how such an event could have happened. Along the way, Livingston begins to learn more and more about what happened and just how much she relates to the setting around her. The screenplay was adapted by the same person who the wrote the play, John Pielmeier. Together, he and director Norman Jewison make a film that not only raises good questions, but really makes the audience think.

What makes the story so interesting to watch is seeing the clashing ideologies between Dr. Livingston and Mother Ruth. One is a trained psychiatrist, who looks to logic for answers. Solid, irrefutable evidence that allows one to solve such a strange anomaly. The other is a believer of God and feels sometimes things are not so easily explainable. Pitted between the two is sister Agnes, who remembers certain things, while other times doesn't remember the whole story. What's even more important is that while there is closure, there are moments left up to the audiences' interpretation. Giving the story another level of depth when it comes how things actually happened and why. The only part that doesn't really add up is just how the pivotal discovery was handled in such a short window of time.

The cast to this film is a mix of American and Canadian actors. All of which have credible acting skills. Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft both act very well in this feature. Their characters have an interesting dynamic considering their histories. Fonda is known for her roles in Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Coming Home (1978). While Bancroft is known for her roles in The Graduate (1967) and The Elephant Man (1980). Meg Tilly as Agnes also gives a captivating performance as the main focus of the investigation. She not only is a tragic character, but a troubled one. At the time Tilly's best known role was in Psycho II (1983). There's also appearances from Gratien Gélinas, Guy Hoffmann and Deborah Grover.

Visually speaking, the film has lots to offer. While the movie is by no means in the horror genre, there are some horrific scenes that involve blood that nobody should go through. Aside from this though, the shots whether it be internal or external are filmed well. Behind the camera was Sven Nykvist, who would also go on to help film Chaplin (1992). As for music, the sound was brought in by French composer Georges Delerue. Seeing that many films that involve religion tend to lend more vocals, Delerue ops to evenly blend this with romanticized orchestra. The tone is tragic and beautiful simultaneously and deserves a listen.

There's very little to find confusing about the story told here. Aside from one bit related to timing, the premise is a solid one that not only questions believers, but non-believers. Thanks to strong acting, emotional music and skilled cinematography, this film will keep its viewers watching with intrigue.

After a nun gives birth, the baby is found strangled in a wastepaper basket. A psychiatrist is brought in to judge the woman's sanity. The film is "Agnes of God," based on the successful Broadway play and inspired by an incident that occurred in my home town of Rochester, New York. It unites three powerful actresses - Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly in this intriguing story of belief, truth, and perception.

Fonda is the psychiatrist who comes to the idyllic, French Canadian convent setting and first meets the mother superior (Bancroft), a nun with a few secrets, who is opposed to having Agnes, the young woman who had the baby, questioned. Agnes is a pure, childlike girl who hears voices, talks to spirits, doesn't know how babies are born, and claims she never had one. Is she delusional as the result of abuse as a child? Was she raped? Is she insane? The performances in "Agnes of God" are extraordinary. Fonda is brilliant as a woman of science who has long ago turned her back on God, and Meg Tilly gives a breakout performance as the translucent, innocent Agnes. The dramatic scene which ends with Fonda saying, "I love you...As much as God loves you" was one of the most moving in the film.

The powerhouse role, played on stage by Geraldine Page, is that of the mother superior, and what better actress for this than the fantastic Anne Bancroft. She is tough, vulnerable, funny, fierce and warm as a woman trying to protect her delicate charge from the horrors of the world. She and Fonda play beautifully together, whether bonding or fighting, as Fonda strips away the layers to find the truth.

It's so rare to see a film with three great female roles, and to see them all essayed so well in an excellent story. For this reason, Agnes of God is a great, provocative film that will keep you thinking about it long after it's over.

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.

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.