User reviews

I find it odd that I have never heard of this film before tonight. Sure, I was only a child when it was released, but since the film has many good qualities I would have thought I'd heard about it anyway. "Agnes of God" is a very interesting drama about a nun who, apparently, has murdered her new-born child. Meg Tilly is sensational as Agnes! I've never been more impressed by her. The film is even quite suspenseful at times and you have a lot to think about after the movie has ended. The cinematography is great (which is no surprise when Sven Nykvist is involved) and the score is beautiful. "Agnes of God" is a very good film.

This is a superb film. It has great performances, specially from Meg Tilly, as the young nun who has fallen from grace. Neither she, the rest of the sisters, or the psychiatrist sent to investigate the case, can find a satisfactory explanation. What really impressed me about this movie is the way it confronts religious beliefs with skepticism, confrontation that, in turn, is transmitted to the viewer with all its questions. Is what happened a big lie, just the product of the imagination -or distorted faith- of a young woman?. Is it all God's plan?. If it is so, did he make a mistake?. Is it all a miracle gone wrong?

Three actresses shine in this hit stage play turned into a movie. "Agnes of God" focuses on the story of isolated nuns in a convent in Canada. A young naive nun named Agnes (Meg Tilly) somehow conceives a child, giving birth, and the baby ends up dead. Finding out what happened here is the job of a somewhat jaded and burned out psychiatrist (Jane Fonda). The psychiatrist seems to have a bit of an ax to grind against the Catholic Church and in particular the way the Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft) has shielded the young nun. The film is absorbing in the way it weaves this story - showing that everyone, including the church, has secrets. The Mother Superior tries to convince the psychiatrist that Agnes is "touched by God" and that he permitted the conception. Just how she did conceive is never explained -leaving it up to the viewer to decide. Meg Tilly is excellent in a very early film role, and Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft are at their best locking horns over what to do about Agnes. The film shows both the beauty of the Catholic Church and its reputation for secrecy.

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 ****

In one of her best performances, Jane Fonda plays a psychiatrist who is assigned to deal with a case involving a naive young nun(played by Meg Tilly) who allegedly gave birth to a baby and murdered it in the convent.

While slow and gimmicky at times, the acting and story are enough to keep the film worth watching.

Anne Bancroft also gives a very good performance as the Mother Superior at the convent who is highly skeptical of Fonda's character and profession.

Generally worthwhile.

What I loved most about this movie was the beautiful cinematography. It is stunningly filmed and really evokes an emotion of spiritualness and the unknown in me. Meg Tilly was superb as the nun who gives birth to a baby that is then murdered. Her innocence, naietivty are portrayed with such adept skill. Jane Fonda's character was solid as well, playing a sympathetic yet inquisitive psychiatrist who wants answers. I also felt that Anne Bancroft did an adequate job, but was lacking something for me.

No easy answers in this movie, as religion and spirituality do not offer concrete answers. Thought provoking indeed and as I said, the film is so beautifully shot, it just adds to the spirituality of this movie. You won't find a tidy two hour movie but you will think about how religion is powerful behind many forces.

After a nun gives birth, the baby is found strangled in a wastepaper basket. A psychiatrist is brought in to judge the woman's sanity. The film is "Agnes of God," based on the successful Broadway play and inspired by an incident that occurred in my home town of Rochester, New York. It unites three powerful actresses - Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly in this intriguing story of belief, truth, and perception.

Fonda is the psychiatrist who comes to the idyllic, French Canadian convent setting and first meets the mother superior (Bancroft), a nun with a few secrets, who is opposed to having Agnes, the young woman who had the baby, questioned. Agnes is a pure, childlike girl who hears voices, talks to spirits, doesn't know how babies are born, and claims she never had one. Is she delusional as the result of abuse as a child? Was she raped? Is she insane? The performances in "Agnes of God" are extraordinary. Fonda is brilliant as a woman of science who has long ago turned her back on God, and Meg Tilly gives a breakout performance as the translucent, innocent Agnes. The dramatic scene which ends with Fonda saying, "I love you...As much as God loves you" was one of the most moving in the film.

The powerhouse role, played on stage by Geraldine Page, is that of the mother superior, and what better actress for this than the fantastic Anne Bancroft. She is tough, vulnerable, funny, fierce and warm as a woman trying to protect her delicate charge from the horrors of the world. She and Fonda play beautifully together, whether bonding or fighting, as Fonda strips away the layers to find the truth.

It's so rare to see a film with three great female roles, and to see them all essayed so well in an excellent story. For this reason, Agnes of God is a great, provocative film that will keep you thinking about it long after it's over.

Norman Jewison has spent his career making movies that often address touchy subjects: racism in "In the Heat of the Night", anti-semitism in "Fiddler on the Roof", fascism in "Rollerball", destruction of livelihoods in "Other People's Money" and the racism of the criminal justice system in "The Hurricane". With "Agnes of God", he focuses on religion.

Meg Tilly plays a novice nun who gives birth to a baby and throws it in the wastepaper basket, killing it. A psychiatrist (Jane Fonda) gets brought in to see if she's mentally competent to stand trial. Over the course of the movie, all manner of surprising things are going to get revealed.

As expected, Fonda, Tilly and Anne Bancroft (as Mother Superior) turn in fine performances; I wish that there were more movies with women in the lead roles. I guess that the movie's overall point is that there are some things that we can't know, and it's up to us to decide how we interpret things. It's far from Jewison's best movie, but he once again succeeds in looking at an important issue. Moreover, it confirms the diversity of the depiction of nuns in popular culture: jolly (The Singing Nun, The Flying Nun), silly (Nuns on the Run), serious (A Nun's Story), stern (The Blues Brothers) and even disturbed (any movie in the "nunsploitation" genre).

I saw this movie for the first time with a group of friends in a special show at midnight. We had just seen an awful movie called "A Hot Party" and were so mad. I picked up a torn newspaper from the floor and saw the ad for this special show. We decided on the spot that nothing could be worse than what we just saw and went over. Great Choice!. Fonda's character is so full of conflicts, but her struggle to keep objectivity is showed masterfully, Ann Bancroft is great as the Mother Superior, supportive of her flock, and protective; but trying to help the good doctor as a way to extricate Agnes (Meg Tilly) from her "delusions". And Meg Tilly, what a find she was for us. The photography, with dominating earthy colors, delivers the ambient of the movie in such a beautiful way.

I can say that this is clearly, one of the best movies I've ever seen. Highly recommended.

In the Les Petites Soeurs de Marie Madeleine convent outside of Montreal, sister Agnes Devereaux (Meg Tilly) is found with a dead newborn. Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) is sent by the prosecutors to determine her mental stability as they are reluctant to try a nun for murder. Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft) is the leader. Agnes is delusional and refuses to accept that she gave birth.

Tilly is amazing bordering on madness. She has a wide-eyed persona that fits this character perfectly. Bancroft is solid. Fonda is bothersome. There are many ways for her character to go but she is taking the worst path. She is not pleasant. She doesn't feel like a doctor. Her strident character feels more like an argumentative social worker or an atheist lawyer. As a psychiatrist, she seems shocked by the delusion and lacks the empathy to be good at her job. Fonda's character is all wrong and she's playing it aggressively to its maximum. Then there is the main question which is left unanswered. It needs answering. This movie has a couple of great performances but also has glaring problems.

I just now saw this movie yesterday morning on HBO.I found it very entertaining with fine acting by Jane Fonda,Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly.All parts in the film,even the supporting roles were pulled off with out a hitch.But much like the old Peggy Lee hit,I have to ask myself,"Is that all there is"? Though religious myself I am not a catholic.Therefore Imight be no one to judge.I can see why it ended like it did.Though I was hoping for a different ending.I'm in no way suggesting you shoulden't see this movie.Like I said It is very entertaining and very well acted.Just do me a favor and tell me what you think of the ending.

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.

This film is thematically interesting, to be sure, examining such conflicts as agnosticism vs. faith and spirituality vs. scientific explanations. But the result comes across as infuriatingly confused and muddled. The ending, supposed to lead to some kind of resolution, is a mixture of half-baked ideas that contradict each other. (**1/2)

Movie 3 of 1985 and 123 overall in my journey through films of my lifetime.

Opening act is a compelling and interesting mystery. Agnes's lack of memory is plausible and is before the 90's obsession with movies based on identity and memory. In that was "Agnes of God" is ahead of its time.

Interesting parallel where Agnes can't remember having a child. Meanwhile the main character, played by Jane Fonda, visits her mother who has Alzheimer's disease and can't remember her, her own daughter. Excellent acting, I really felt the pain of the scene. The parallel between Agnes and Fonda's character, Dr. Livingston, gives them an interesting emotive connection.

Agnes experienced a stigmata, and, perhaps, an immaculate conception? Good job teetering between natural and supernatural but the assumption was definitely natural. "Agnes of God" is driven by an assumed natural explanation of its events. However, as the plot unfolds the supernatural becomes a more compelling answer. This is a good example of great pacing. They don't just tell you from the beginning that the answer could be supernatural/spiritual, they let you figure it out and let it unfold more and more throughout the story.

Some of the emotional lows and highs are just too difficult for the actors to get to. It would be easy for someone to confuse the lack of persuasive acting with melodrama. That's not the case with many of the scenes that are notably lower energy than they should be. They are not bad actors but they just don't seem to be able to relate to what is happening to the characters. Probably the director's fault and I hate saying that because I think the guy is a great director.

Later in the film they appeal to hypnotizm to bring about Agnes's memories. This may have been a missed opportunity to show some POV elements of the nights in question. I'm guessing the budget prohibited this.

Doesn't really ask good questions in terms of conflict between religion and secularism although it tried.

Open ended ending which I loved!

There is some very important personal revelations about Agnes's motives at the end and it needed to pay off and it did. There is much to think about when it comes to her motives.

Almost an all female cast and yet never once preached about it or made political statements.

One final comment about the ending: Agnes comes off as almost too innocent. This was intentional so that you can feel the moment at the end where you learn a lot about Agnes's inner life. Very well played.

Pros Great mystery Convent is a good creepy atmosphere Agnes is a complex character The relationships of all the characters are intertwined in a compelling way

Cons Actors couldn't always reach the needed hieights Music was dated A brief narration about some dangling mysteries was a sin IMO.

I liked this movie for many reasons. I love the atmosphere and the beautiful scenery. The quiet and sometimes enviable looking life of a cloistered nun. The haunting music by Georges Delerue. And the committed acting by the 3 lead women. This movie's basic question that we are left with is, are miracles possible and do they still happen? People who felt they were left hanging by the ending are right. This movie doesn't attempt to answer these questions, merely to make us think about it. I personally love movies that make me think and take me to another place- which this movie does.

Having seen this movie for the first time when I was 15 or so, and having no idea what I was watching, I was in for some great viewing when I watched it again 20 years later.

The cast, needless to say, is stupendous. Jane Fonda, the late Anne Bancroft, and a fledgling Meg Tilly, back in a time when movies with just women actors were unheard of, especially dramas.

The plot of the movie orbits around a crime. In a convent, in the middle of a cold Canadian night, a scream in the darkness uncovers an unconscious Nun, Agnes(Meg Tilly), coverd in blood. After she is taken away the mother superior(Anne Bancroft) finds, to her horror, a dead baby in the waste paper basket in Agnes' cell.

Leary of sending a Nun to prison the Candian legal system assigns a psychiatrist (Jane Fonda) to Agnes to determine that Agnes is insane and to have her committed.

We soon find out, the Agnes, very young, innocent, and iggnorant of the ways of the world, had no idea that she was pregnant, how she became pregnant, or how anyone becomes pregnant. Agnes often is spoken to by someone she calls "the lady", as well as her dead mother. There are plot twists, and faith based happenings, and possible psychological explanations to things that happen in this movie to the point that would leave anyone guessing.

I believe this movie to be a hidden classic. The acting is superb, and seamless. The only thing I would question in this movie is the directors decision to make Jane Fonda's character (Dr. Martha Livingston) smoke so much. It is clear that Ms. Fonda did not smoke at the time, and she handles the cigarettes awkwardly at times.

Meg Tilly, however, is the light of this movie. She displays a John Malkovich ability to act seemingly crazy, but somehow not, at the same time.

Anne Bancroft, when is there ever anything to say about her, other then utter perfection.

The end of the movie leaves the watcher to make his or her own decision. Is Agnes insane? Or was she brutilized horribly by some man that managed to sneak into the convent. Why did the Mother Superior not tell everything she knew sooner? Truly a wonderful piece of film!

Jane Fonda plays a psychiatrist assigned to help Meg Tilly, a young nun who has recently given birth. With her baby dead and her memory lapsed, Jane tries to get to the bottom of the upsetting and newsworthy situation. Anne Bancroft is Mother Superior, and she resents Jane's presence. She and Jane clash at every turn, but the audience soon finds out no one is as innocent as they appear.

Based off of John Pielmeier's play, Agnes of God is the most controversial religious film since The Nun's Story. It's a very interesting story, but it might not be the type of movie you'll want to watch over and over. Jane and Anne give great performances, and the story probes the minds of those inclined to question, but for audiences who aren't in the mood for a heavy, draining play, you might want to rent one of Jane Fonda's films from the 1960s.

In the world of movies in the eighties, Agnes of God is a true wonder : an intelligent film that carries more than one idea AND has its funny moments, beautiful cinematography, incredible casting, the most intense dialogue and some heavy drama. Jane Fonda has never been better. She builds a sensitive, complex character who has to deal with much more than she was originally willing for (her childhood, her faith, her identity, her age, Anne Bancroft as a controlling, protective nun, Meg Tilly as a supposed murderess of her own baby, and also a nun). The three actresses play beautifully together, immersed in a magnificent wintery Canadian landscape. This is American cinema at its best.