The AGNES of God - An Angel among Monkeys !

Yes, that is the first impression I get after watching  this movie. A she monkey , dressed as a psychiatrist ,with a cigarette in her hand, tries to understand and uncover the mystery behind a dead newborn in a convent; born from a very young nun who is intoxicated with God's love. How can a world full of chimps and monkeys understand love, specially God's love. Their world is so superficial and shallow that they can only do a cheap imitation of love.

This movie is not a horror movie but one based on religion with intelligent discussions about various topics current in society.

Meg Tilly gives an amazing performance as the nun soaked in God's love. Her unusual eyes and soft voice adds to the aura of a suffering nun. Jane Fonda plays the psychiatrist and gives a performance adequate for her role. She manages to uncover the painful layer from the mind of the nun - that she understands pregnancy and the birth of the child which she was hiding earlier in the spiritual lore of the church. She also uncovers that the young orphaned nun was abused by her mother and is always seeking her mother's approval even when the mother is not present ! The nun also complains (during the hypnotism) that she was fed food adulterated with glass and she was in severe pain because of that !! We are not sure if that was after the conception or before the conception!!

Even after witnessing a miracle, when blood pours out of the hand of the accused nun spontaneously during the hypnotism, the psychiatrist continues to question her about the man who impregnated her ! I believe in Christiandom, this mating with God/Jesus and associated physical signs on the body is called Stigmata. Like Christ, she is a victim of the world. The movie is based on a play, which in turn is inspired from a true story according to online information I uncovered.

The young nun says it was God who is the father of the child...then what about Charlie's song she sings in the court - one story for the world, another for the church ?? Maybe in the nun's mind both are fused together as God's love.

One might go further and say that the movie is about unwanted pregnancy of innocent young girls who do not understand the consequences of early 'love' ! [The good baby comes from the heart and the bad baby from pressing down below says the young nun]. The spontaneous eruption of blood from the holes in her hands might be considered symbolism; that in the outside world she might be killed and so she hides in the church protected by the religious world.