Agnes of God

1985 "That night, murder wasn't the only sin."
6.6| 1h38m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 27 September 1985 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

When a dead newborn is found, wrapped in bloody sheets, in the bedroom wastebasket of a young novice, psychiatrist Martha Livingston is called in to determine if the seemingly innocent novice, who knows nothing of sex or birth, is competent enough to stand trial for the murder of the baby.

Genre

Drama, Mystery

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Director

Norman Jewison

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

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Agnes of God Audience Reviews

Freaktana A Major Disappointment
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
kaljic Agnes of God is one of those little gems, which while not overlooked (both Ann Bancroft and Meg Tilly were nominated for their performances), could have received more attention. The reason it did not, I believe, is that it challenges the viewer and takes a serious look at core beliefs, thus automatically taking it out of the mainstream.The film really is about three mutually exclusive, opposing viewpoints and outlooks on life. One side is represented by Meg Tilly, playing the naive, young nun accused of murder, and who represents pure religious ecstacy. The other is played by Ann Bancroft, who plays the mother superior of the convent, and while religious, knows of and is experienced in the world. The last is Jane Fonda, who plays a court-appointed psychiatrist to determine if Meg Tilly is competent to stand trial. She represents the world of secular humanism.On one level the movie is a drama, whose underlying plot is to determine exactly what happened that night when Meg Tilly was discovered with a dead baby. On a deeper level the movie is an examination of how each position -- humanism, religiosity, and religious ecstacy -- views the world.This film is basically an ensemble plot that pits the performances of Fonda, Bancroft and Tilly, and their respective viewpoints, against each other. It is truly a cultural clash of these three orientations where one side attempts to understand the other. Through most of the movie there is no understanding or meeting of the minds, there is conflict and there is only misunderstanding. There is conflict in the movie not just because the screen writers wanted some dramatic tension in the film. These three viewpoint indeed are different points of view where there is little common ground.The legal system must proceed, but Fonda (secular humanism) wants very much to understand the obvious genuineness of Meg Tilly's religious fervor. Is this a reflection of her own (secular humanism's) own vacuity? She works a little harder than she would have done if this were an other case. And the viewer too wants to believe as well. The viewer does not want to believe that Tilly was molested or abused. The viewer's hopes are anchored on the great depth of Tilly's faith. There is enough evidence to make the viewer believe that perhaps Tilly is pure and did not kill the baby, because when she is caught up in her religious zeal, she bleeds. Some of the most poignant scenes in the movie is where, personally confused and conflicted by all the attention paying upon her, Meg Tilly spontaneously bleeds on the palms of her hands. The establishment (Ann Bancroft) will always have an interest in clearing the matter quickly and neatly. Whether the film presented such a resolution only the viewer can answer.All performances are strong and all the main actresses were Oscar-nominated for good reason. Fonda's performance deserved a nomination as well, but she wasn't for whatever reason.This movie is thought-provoking. If there was any movie not meant for casual viewing, it is this one. It deserves five stars for its brilliant treatment on the topic portrayed.
Desertman84 A young nun's sanity is questioned when she is accused of giving birth and murdering the child in this movie entitled,Agnes of God. The movie stars Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly. It was adapted by John Pielmeier from his own play of the same title and it was directed by Norman Jewison.The movie is a is the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation.Set in Montreal, the movie opens with a very young, pretty nun being discovered unconscious and splattered with a lot of blood.This is a well-acted film and soul-stirring drama about miracles that have said to happen and the clash between reason and faith.It is an excellent film that has a very tight script, plot and cinematography. It is gripping from beginning to end. It is not about religion but about the inter- personal and intra-personal conflicts of a psychiatrist, the mother superior of a community of nuns and one of her young nuns.Also,it is a provocative piece featuring virtuoso acting from its lead stars particularly Fonda, Bancroft and Tilly. Overall,it is a well-done movie despite its some melodramatic features and the fact that it left viewers many unanswered questions.
blacktiefight One of the nuns in the nunnery is up to good as they find a dead baby in her wastebasket. But wait! She was bloody all over and unconscious the whole time. Where is the foul play? Jane Fonda is the court-ordered psychiatrist on the case, and Jane Fonda has big problems with God. Can she maintain her objectivity when her past leads her to such bias? This film is not as profound as it likes to think it is. What is a story about a virgin birth, is something that seems altogether filthy, and if God truly did have a hand in this affair, a cruel and malevolent God He is. Anne Banecroft give a great performance as the mother superior, but Jane Fonda is quite annoying in her ethical, psychiatrist routine. Meg Tilly also suffers some severe fits of overacting. Certain sub-plots are brought into play concerning Jane Fonda's own family, but are never followed up upon. What is supposed to be the story of enigmatic mothers by the end just bursts into unintelligibility. Not a complete waste of time, but somewhat of a waste of time.
Syl When Anne Bancroft died this past year, I remembered this film because of her performance. I can't forget Jane Fonda and Meg Tilly's as well. The three actresses really provided some of their finest performances for the camera. We are left with more questions than answers. But as we go through watching this film, we love Anne's role as the Mother Superior with a few secrets of her own and Jane Fonda as the psychiatrist assigned to Sister Agnes. I love the interaction between Fonda and Bancroft. They're professionals and they're good in this film. That's why the three earned Academy Award nominations. Finally a film about nuns that's not so demeaning or patronizing. Mother Superior joins the convent for her reasons or because she felt chosen to do God's work. Sister Agnes and Mother Superior's relationship is not so obvious to the viewer. YOu have to take into account every word of what is said between these three characters. You feel sorry for Fonda's childless lonely character as well. In the end, we have more questions than answers that are never really resolved but it's a great film and one of Anne's best work.