AGNES OF GOD. Directed by Norman Jewison; written by John Pielmeier; produced by Patrick Palmer and Norman Jewison for Columbia. Starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly. Rated PG-13 (not violence, per se, but definitely intense situations).
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It's not impossible for a movie to mix meaty philosophical discussions with a good, lurid murder mystery. But it's hard. Agnes of God, unfortunately, isn't a successful attempt. But don't just write the movie off because of this failing. Parts of its story are still interesting, if somewhat medieval in flavor. And it offers a trio of good, and two outstanding, performances.
The story sounds like it was lifted from a supermarket tabloid. Agnes (Tilly), a sweet, if very strange and unworldly young nun, gives birth to a baby in the convent. Shortly afterward, the child is found dead. Agnes is accused of murder, but professes no memory of the birth, death or even the conception of the child.
The court appoints psychiatrist Martha Livingstone (Fonda) to determine if Agnes is sane. In the course of her talks with Agnes and with Mother superior Miriam (Bancroft), she becomes convinced of Agnes' innocence.
Martha also wants to "cure" Agnes, as well as save her from prison. She wants to exorcise the ghost of the girl's abusive mother, free her from disquieting visions and from her ignorance of the world. Miriam is just as determined to safeguard her spirituality and her only source of happiness.
It's a shame this very poor excuse for a murder mystery intrudes on the philosophical/religious tug-of-war over Agnes. The latter subplot is otherwise one of the story's most interesting angles. But the mystery is full of red herrings, contrivances and much ado about an obvious resolution.
Bancroft is at the top of her form as Miriam, sarcastic, unsure and grimly determined by turns. Tilly is also quite impressive. Agnes is like a being from another planet, with little in her character or background to make audience identification easy (or desirable). But in spite of this her screen presence is compelling, because Tilly makes her strangeness, innocence and occasional hostility all believable.
The weak link is Fonda, although part of the problem is her character. In comparison to Agnes' eerie innocence and Miriam's salty good humor, she's just plain dull. And she labors under some burdensome plot contrivances. For instance her boyfriend just happens to be a cop who gets her off-the-record information that fuels her belief in Agnes' innocence.
In addition, she turns out to be not only a fairly hostile ex-Catholic, but one whose sister was a nun who died in a convent. Martha would have been much more interesting and the whole story much more believable, if all these coincidences hadn't been piled on. A psychiatrist with a neutral religious background would have made a better case for the secular side of the tug-of-war.
On the thumbs-up side of Agnes there are good performances and haunting cinematography that's both literally and figuratively chilling (the setting is Canada in fall and winter). But the storyline is muddled, with too many unwarranted, extraneous connections among the characters. If you like cheery rather than depressing movies, the positive aspects of Agnes aren't enough to recommend it. But, if you don't mind confronting bleakness and despair for the sake of art, then maybe they are.
October 9, 1985