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.

Agnes Of God (1985): Starring Jane Fonda, Meg Telly, Anne Bancroft, Winston Rekert, Gratien Gelinas, Anne Pitoniak, Guy Hoffman, Francoise Faucher, Gabriel Arcand, Jacques Tourangeau, Janine Fluet, Debora Grover, Michel George, Muguette Moreau, Norma Dell'Agnese, Laurel Lyle, Nicole Marie Abat, Jacqueline Blias, Rita Tuckett, Lillian Graham, Victor Desy...Director David Jewison...Screenplay John Pielmeier.Based on John Pielmeier's Broadway play, this is director David Jewison's successful screen adaptation. Released in 1985, "Agnes Of God" starred Jane Fonda in a role that she delivers with Oscar worthy power, although she is supported by an equally amazing cast of actors, including veteran star Anne Bancroft. The strength of this film is in its riveting drama of both a religious and psychological bent, not to mention a bleak atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Set in Quebec French-Canada, in a rural region outside Montreal, the story is about Sister Agnes (Meg Tilly) who becomes the subject of an investigation by Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) a psychiatrist. As the film opens, Agnes has just given birth to a baby but who is found dead in a waste basket in her quarters at a remote convent. To avoid a media circus, the Mother Superior, Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft) keeps her confined in the convent and does not wish to put her into the hands of the authorities. As Dr. Livingston interrogates and befriends the child-like, spirited and imaginative Sister Agnes, secrets and disturbing facts are slowly revealed. Agnes grew up in a broken home, never went to school, never learned about the real world and was abused by her alcoholic and psychotic mother. As a result, her mind is warped and she is inclined to hallucinations and spontaneous bleedings. The mystery of who fathered her baby remains unsolved, even at the close of the film. Agnes believed it was God who impregnated her in a "Virgin Mary" sort of manner, and Mother Superior believed it too. But practical and scientific Dr. Livingston is determined to find out the man who seduced her. The film is not even about who knocked up Sister Agnes, but is instead a chilling drama about women and their issues. Mother Superior is a bitter divorced woman who had been a lousy mother and left her family to become a nun. Dr. Livingston is a modern woman who turned her back on Catholicism but who proves to be a compassionate woman bent on saving Agnes from doom. Agnes is herself the most troubled of the women, but it is her unbelievable story about a baby with an unidentified father that keeps this film in a compelling vein. Jane Fonda is simply wonderful, proving again, even at this late state in her career, that she still had the makings of a brilliant actress. This role is not considered one of her best but it was the type of role - the compassionate and intelligent liberal- that suited her personality so perfectly. Meg Tilly was not very known at this time but this performance is quite good and she would only move on to better roles. Anne Bancroft, who had once upon a time in the late 60's seduced a "Graduate", is humorous and bitter as the old Reverend Mother. The "bonding" scene between Fonda and Bancroft as they are smoking (a nun smoking!) and their playful banter is never overly irreverent and reveals warmth within embracing the human side of all people, whether a nun or a smoking psychiatrist. Catholicism is never attacked or criticized in this film, despite the playful jokes and somewhat anti-organized religion sentiments by the more progressive Jane Fonda character. Religion is merely the vehicle for the mystery. Could it be possible, even in our modern world devoid of miracles, that a virgin could conceive a child from God ? If it happened to a woman of ancient Roman-occupied Israel according to Catholics today, why can't they also believe it was possible in 1985 at a convent in rural Canada ? The film's theme is about fact and reason versus faith and miracles, though they are never actually at war with one another in this film, whose strongest theme is that of harmony and friendship among diverse characters. Like someone suggested, it's a reverse "Rosemary's Baby" where the horror elements remain in the spiritual dimensions and their influence over the living. In this case, the truth about Sister Agnes remains an unsolved mystery and is open to interpretation. This is a most terrific film with several different layers of emotion, psychology and spirituality. Two thumbs way up for this wonderful 1980's mystery drama with Jane Fond and Anne Bancroft doing their usual wonderful thing.

Young nun in a convent, so enamored with her Savior that she seems to be in a lovestruck daze, may or may not have killed an infant. Anne Bancroft is the Mother Superior, Jane Fonda is the investigating psychiatrist (every movie should have one), and Meg Tilly is the enchanting yet frustrating nun whom nobody can budge with common sense. Adapted from the kind of stage-play that doesn't go over well in high schools, "Agnes of God" (terrible title!) is sort of the flip-side to "Rosemary's Baby", an unsettling, overwrought exercise for thespians to display their range. What's amazing is that these actresses carve out interesting characterizations within the hoked-up, hysterical scenario. They can't possibly believe these goings-on, but they give it conviction, particularly Fonda, sterling as usual. Bancroft shines in one particular scene, again hoked-up, where she sneaks a cigarette; it's a cliché, but it's the relief the picture needs. Tilly is aggravatingly bright and beguiling. By the third act, the film has pretty much self-destructed, yet there's not much satisfaction in the answers given to us. **1/2 from ****

A somewhat interesting yet always rather ordinary nunnery mystery film, it suffers from a poor execution of thought provoking ideas, and being never really clear about anything in the end leaves the film unsatisfying overall. But the film nevertheless has enough to keep one watching with Meg Tilly being a particular virtue to it. She plays the part of a child-like naive and altruistic nun so well that she is able to light up every scene she is in. And, she is the best-remembered part of the whole production afterwards. Her performance is not enough reason to go out and see this, but it is enough reason to keep watching it throughout its duration if the film is on the menu anyway.