"Stigmata" -- Not Worth the Sacrifice by Homer Yen (c) 1999
My friends will tell you that I'm not very religious. I'm not an avid churchgoer, and I'm sure that there is much that I will have to atone for when I am finally reviewed for entry at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter will probably ask me how much I know about the teachings of Jesus, to which my answer will undoubtedly disappoint the heavenly gatekeeper. But despite my lack of faith, I DO know that the scriptwriters of `Stigmata' will be taking the express elevator to that other place because this film, based deeply on some Christian underpinnings, recklessly throws away any semblance of theology out the window.
The first such absurd example involves some rosary beads that contain a supernatural spirit. Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) receives this as a gift from Mom who bought it on the streets of a small Brazilian town. Frankie lives a normal stress-free life comprised of days piercing nipples at her beauty salon and nights hanging out with her girlfriends at the local clubs. But soon after the receipt of her gift, horrifying and unexplainable phenomenon begins to happen. First, holes mysteriously appear in her wrists as if something had driven a stake through it. She is rushed to the hospital where the doctors think that she is suicidal. A few days go by and some unseen force severely lashes her back. The doctors have no rational explanation. These events catch the attention of the Vatican who dispatches Father Andrew (Gabriel Byrne) to investigate. His sole purpose is to disprove so-called miracles. He is extremely skeptical about Frankie because she is a self-professed atheist. However, when the next miracle occurs (her forehead is mysteriously slashed), he tells her of the Stigmata.
Father Andrew explains that experiencing the Stigmata is like a miraculous gift from God. Jesus suffered these exact same wounds. There were five wounds in all, including the staking of the feet and a spear through the body. `But Jesus died,' Frankie blurts out. `Can I give these gifts back,' she asks? I would think that having such a gift, though obviously painful, would be glorious and inspiring. But the movie portrays this as some sort of dark, demonic possession. Frankie (or actually the spirit that possesses her) begins to madly etch out incomprehensible symbols and speak in a deep satanic voice. Both of these, we are told, are Aramaic, a long-forgotten dialect used in the time of Jesus. What is she writing? What is she saying? Are these the actual words of Christ?
At this point, a new plot develops that takes this film in a completely new direction. Upon learning of this new development, the Vatican leaders (headed by Jonathan Pryce) tell Father Andrew to conclude his investigation immediately. They are afraid of something and take it into their own hands to address the issue of Frankie's miracles. Father Andrew, however, is determined to know the truth. Think X-Files where the enemy is the Vatican.
Does any of this make sense? Well, if you were confused about religion before, this can only add fuel to the fire. It thinks that rosary beads can contain spirits, it confuses miracles with possession, and it portrays the Vatican as the instrument of an ongoing conspiracy. I also found this movie irritating in many ways. I especially disliked the sequences when she experienced Stigmata, which I though was needlessly bloody and overly dramatic. I also didn't care for the accompanying sound effects which were grating and used exaggerated noises (honking of horns, fluttering of wings) to try to add tension. There are some good ideas at work here including very nice cinematography and grounding Frankie in a blue-collar atmosphere to show that miracles can happen to the most common of folk. But her role is simply impossible and this film doesn't convince us that it is a drama or a thriller or anything else other than something that is masquerading as a horror film.
Grade: C-
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