Written by Tom Lazarus and Rick Ramage
Directed by Rupert Wainwright

Every year, there are reports across the globe of various phenomena with religious implications.  The problem has been present through the ages of those who would exploit the belief in the phenomena and the signs that believers of various faiths believe these manifestations hold for us.  The Vatican has priests dedicated just to the work of sorting through the reports and investigating those deemed worthy of their attention, oftentimes debunking the claims.

In Stigmata, Patricia Arquette is Frankie Page.  She’s a party girl with no real religious beliefs.  She receives a rosary from her mother, who’s vacationing in Rio, and soon after begins experiencing physical symptoms leading her to believe she could be pregnant.  As she’s in the bath contemplating her options, a violent experience leaves her suffering stigmata.  These are the marks of Jesus’ crucifixion that appear on the hands, feet, back, and head.

Father Andrew Kiernan (portrayed by Gabriel Byrne) has just returned from Rio, where he observes a statue crying tears of human blood.  What he doesn’t know is that the rosary Frankie received came from that same town where the statue is, and was owned by a somewhat unconventional priest.

What Father Kiernan manages to uncover makes him question his own faith.  At the same time, the Church has an interest in keeping it under wraps and will go to any lengths to discredit not just Frankie, but all of Father Kiernan’s work over the years.

Stigmata suffers from not knowing what it wants to be.  It’s not quite horror, although those who have an issue with the sight of blood will likely want to avoid this film.  The problem is that it sets out to be a film with an important religious message and then tries to keep entertaining.  That’s not an easy line to tread, and it misses the mark entirely.

Part of the issue has to do with the lack of background for the major characters.  It’s obvious that Frankie comes from a family where there was some religious upbringing.  So why has she turned her back on it so entirely? It might not be important normally, but in a film that’s really selling religious beliefs as an integral part of the story, more information on how Frankie came to this decision would buoy the story.  She also expresses her pain and anguish at what’s happening to her, but she never expresses how it affects her beliefs, or lack thereof.

The filming style was a bit difficult as well.  It was obviously targeted to a younger audience, with a style reminiscent of music videos.  There are shots within the story to lead the viewer to believe they are seeing a meaningful bit of the story, but then it’s never followed up on.  I think it’s just that Director Rupert Wainwright thought these were cool, artsy shots to include within the movie, and it just ends up confusing the viewer all the more.  By the end of the film, I had a bit of a headache from trying to focus on what was happening and decipher what was an integral part of the story and what was just window dressing.

That’s not a criticism of the acting.  Both Arquette and Byrne are terrific in their roles here.  Arquette has had issues in the past choosing roles that really manage to showcase her talent, and this is no exception.  The only excuse I can surmise is that the role seemed different on paper than how it finally translated on screen.  Byrne is good as Father Kiernan, although he seems to underplay his worldliness.  I mean, Kiernan is knowledgeable enough to debunk some of the wild claims coming out of all corners of the globe, but he is naive about what is happening within the church itself.  I guess I was looking for a little more Pacino-like anger from the character, although I’ve been hard on Pacino in the past for all the yelling he does.  Still, this was a time when some time where he was yelling and on the offensive with his Church would have been appropriate.

Once I managed to decipher the story, it was something of a let-down.  I don’t see that it’s that compelling of a story unless you are really looking to bash religion (especially the Roman Catholic church) at every juncture.  There are some deleted scenes included in the extra features on the DVD, which do actually add quite a bit to the story, and I thought the alternate ending was actually the better one.  As it is, Stigmata really wasn’t all that horrific or suspenseful.  It just left me confused and frustrated.


Special Features:

• Commentary with Director Rupert Wainwright
• Theatrical Trailer
• Deleted Scenes
• Natalie Imbruglia Music Video