AGNES OF GOD (1985) (****)
Scandal hits the Catholic Church in Toronto. A young nun Agnes (Meg Tilly, THE BIG CHILL) is found bleeding in her bedroom with a dead newborn in a wastepaper basket. No one in her convent knew she was pregnant, not even mother superior Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft, MIRACLE WORKER). Was it a virgin birth? Is Agnes crazy? Why would God allow a clearly innocent nun to get pregnant? Did she kill the baby? And if so, why? And more to the point if she did why did God allow it?
Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda, KLUTE) is assigned to the case as a court appointed psychiatrist to determine the mental health of the woman. Dr. Livingston soon discovers that Agnes is like a child living in a fantasy world possibly not even knowing how she got pregnant. There is a hard line drawn between Dr. Livingston and Mother Miriam about what should be done about Agnes.
The film deals powerfully with issues of faith, religion vs. science and the divinely inspired vs. the insane. The three main characters are extremely well written and are brought to life wonderfully by the actresses. Bancroft and Tilly, respectively, deserved their Best Actress and Supporting Actress nominations for the film. Tilly is a marvel to watch. Bancroft plays her plucky nun so naturally. Too comical in the role, the film would have been ruined. Fonda plays her usual hard-nosed feminist type character like in THE CHINA SYNDROME, which works wonderfully in this picture.
Adapted by John Pielmeier from his own play, many critics of the film find the material too stagy and the narrative too manipulative. For me the pieces worked, and this is why. While some of the crime mystery elements seem contrived when looking back, during the film I was captivated by the actors and their characters. Some complain that the film dances around the deep philosophical issues that it presents, but in allowing the audience to make up their own mind, the film doesn't preach. The film's ambiguity plays to the issues, because there are no answers to the questions the film provokes, so it doesn't attempt to answer them. The viewer is left to decide which side of the argument made the best case.
Director Norman Jewison directs the film with economy and subtlety, letting the performances drive the narrative. It’s another instance of him doing message pictures with real emotion and a lot of smarts. His IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT is one of my all time favorites and I also love his MOONSTRUCK and THE HURRICANE. This is a smart, thought provoking film that should be seen by everyone who love films that spark debate.