Powerful

Please don't spend money on this.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

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.

Agnes of God is one of those little gems, which while not overlooked (both Ann Bancroft and Meg Tilly were nominated for their performances), could have received more attention. The reason it did not, I believe, is that it challenges the viewer and takes a serious look at core beliefs, thus automatically taking it out of the mainstream.The film really is about three mutually exclusive, opposing viewpoints and outlooks on life. One side is represented by Meg Tilly, playing the naive, young nun accused of murder, and who represents pure religious ecstacy. The other is played by Ann Bancroft, who plays the mother superior of the convent, and while religious, knows of and is experienced in the world. The last is Jane Fonda, who plays a court-appointed psychiatrist to determine if Meg Tilly is competent to stand trial. She represents the world of secular humanism.On one level the movie is a drama, whose underlying plot is to determine exactly what happened that night when Meg Tilly was discovered with a dead baby. On a deeper level the movie is an examination of how each position -- humanism, religiosity, and religious ecstacy -- views the world.This film is basically an ensemble plot that pits the performances of Fonda, Bancroft and Tilly, and their respective viewpoints, against each other. It is truly a cultural clash of these three orientations where one side attempts to understand the other. Through most of the movie there is no understanding or meeting of the minds, there is conflict and there is only misunderstanding. There is conflict in the movie not just because the screen writers wanted some dramatic tension in the film. These three viewpoint indeed are different points of view where there is little common ground.The legal system must proceed, but Fonda (secular humanism) wants very much to understand the obvious genuineness of Meg Tilly's religious fervor. Is this a reflection of her own (secular humanism's) own vacuity? She works a little harder than she would have done if this were an other case. And the viewer too wants to believe as well. The viewer does not want to believe that Tilly was molested or abused. The viewer's hopes are anchored on the great depth of Tilly's faith. There is enough evidence to make the viewer believe that perhaps Tilly is pure and did not kill the baby, because when she is caught up in her religious zeal, she bleeds. Some of the most poignant scenes in the movie is where, personally confused and conflicted by all the attention paying upon her, Meg Tilly spontaneously bleeds on the palms of her hands. The establishment (Ann Bancroft) will always have an interest in clearing the matter quickly and neatly. Whether the film presented such a resolution only the viewer can answer.All performances are strong and all the main actresses were Oscar-nominated for good reason. Fonda's performance deserved a nomination as well, but she wasn't for whatever reason.This movie is thought-provoking. If there was any movie not meant for casual viewing, it is this one. It deserves five stars for its brilliant treatment on the topic portrayed.

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.

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.