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Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly, Anne Pitoniak, Winston Rekert ... see more see more... , Gratien Gelinas , Guy Hoffman , Gabriel Arcand , Françoise Faucher , Jacques Tourangeau , Françoise Berd , Jacqueline Blais , Norma Dell'Agnese , Victor Désy , Janine Fluet , Michele George , Deborah Grover , Jennifer Jewison , Samantha Langevin , Charlotte Laurier , Laurel Lyle , André Lacoste , France Arbour , Nicole Marie Abbat , Matthew Armstrong , Janice Bryan , Carole Chatel , Mimi D'Estee , Mark Denis , Lillian Graham , Gerry Huckstep , Peter Langley , Herbert Luft , Chava Mandlsohn , Agnes Middleton , Muguette Moreau , Charles S. Pottie , Daniel Tremblay , Rita Tuckett , Gratien Galinas , Winston Reckert

Agnes of God is an "opened up" adaptation of the minimalist stage play by John Pielmeier. Meg Tilly plays a young nun who secretly gives birth to a baby; the child's body is later found strangled to d... read more read more...eath. Court-appointed psychiatrist Jane Fonda is sent to the convent to investigate, a task made difficult by the weathervane behavior of mother superior Anne Bancroft. To draw out Tilly, who remembers nothing of the birth, Fonda suggests that hypnosis is called for. Playwright Pielmeier poses many questions--is Tilly a pure-and-simple murderess, or was there something "divine" in her act?--but offers frustratingly few answers. The evocative photography is by longtime Ingmar Bergman associate Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

54% liked it

6,615 ratings

Critics

53% liked it

17 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Norman Jewison

Release Date: January 1, 2002

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DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002

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Stats: 170 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (170)

  • dreamfaeries
    August 25, 2006
    dreamfaeries
    Very well done movie.
  • fb1144932598
    March 29, 2011
    fb1144932598
    A powerhouse cast and a compelling story presented here by director Norman Jewison and beautifully filmed by cinematographer Sven Nyquist combined to make this a marvelous film. Meg Tilly radiates beauty, faith, and simplicity as Sister Agnes, a novice in an unnamed monastic orde... read morer of nuns who is accused of murdering her newborn child. Jane Fonda plays a court appointed psychiatrist whose duty is to render a diagnosis that will allow the church and the courts to sweep this case under the rug, but who fights to find out what really happened. More detective than doctor, she follows the trail to wherever it leads, to the consternation of all. And Anne Bancroft, as the Mother Superior with her own secrets, wants this ordeal to be over before her own failures are revealed. Some of the early scenes, as the story was being set up, left this viewer a little confused and the relationship between the good doctor and a sympathetic police detective was largely unexplained. But, except for those shortcomings, this was a powerful film dealing with innocence and guilt and faith versus skepticism in a wholly believable manner. Questions remain, but the verdict rendered by the court seems just and fair, and the clash between faith and reason is not settled, but has reached a truce. One feels that an unlikely friendship has been established and that the good Dr Livingstone and Mother Superior Miriam Ruth share a mutual respect for one another as a result of these events.
  • michaelcorleone
    November 16, 2006
    michaelcorleone
    This film absolutely oozes with melodrama and the dialogue scarcely rings true. However, the strength of Jewison's direction and bravery of the performances make it mildly interesting.
  • terris85017
    August 4, 2011
    terris85017
    One of Jane Fonda's BEST films this one + also Julia....I dare you to quit smoking when watching this movie!! A Must See whether you are religious or not...a remarkable lesson in the shattering of innocence...
  • PinkMinkPrincess
    June 15, 2011
    PinkMinkPrincess
    Powerful Movie.Meg Tilly as the Nun who had a baby that was Mysteriously Murdered was so superb that you could Feel her Pain.Jane Fonda was, as always, amazing, but Meg Tilly was Memorable.Don't know why she isn't a Big Star
  • Ghw12158
    August 6, 2008
    Ghw12158
    good movie however it is so obvious that Fonda doesn't smoke! Don't play a smoker when u can't even fake being a smoker!
  • blueowlboy
    May 30, 2007
    blueowlboy
    Tour-de-force for almost everyone involved. The material allows for great performances -- and they deliver! For me, it overcomes the weaknesses of the storytelling
  • zelda64
    February 1, 2007
    zelda64
    A nun is accused, as to the mystery why her newborn was found dead in her room.
    Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft go head to head, as a court psychiatrist presses deeper and challenges Church Doctrine.
    Bancroft(as Mother Superior), is the aunt of Sister Agnes (Tilly) and she hides ... read moremore crooked things Dr. Livingston finds out.

    In this film, we see the effects child abuse can have, and how a person's Innocence is destroyed by the perpetrator.
  • atw1960
    January 8, 2007
    atw1960
    very good adaptation from teh Broadway play,Meg Tilly is ethereal,Jane fonda good,Haunting & Trajic
  • BrodyBabe82
    May 18, 2006
    BrodyBabe82
    It's an intriguing idea that is very distrubing. The movie could of been much better than it actually was. There were components of the mise en scene that needed to be developed more, to make the movie feel "eerie-er" and darker.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
July 6, 2010
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Hysterical, pseudo-religious melodrama that's too verbose and stagey for the big scren, though the acting, especially Bancroft and Tily, is good. Full Review

Steve Crum
November 3, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Controversial religion themed story worth seeing; based on stage success.

Nick Davis
August 17, 2003
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

Deadly - despite good work from Meg Tilly, the film is grotesquely directed and the spiritual debate is sensationalized beyond all reason.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
September 1, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Well-acted and soul-stirring drama about miracles and the clash between reason and faith. Full Review

James Sanford
July 29, 2002
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

a provocative piece featuring virtuoso acting from Fonda, Bancroft and Tilly

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

A handful of darn solid performances are mired in a tiresome and muddled narrative.

October 18, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

David Kaplan
March 1, 2008
David Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan

No review available.

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Agnes of God Trivia

  • Who starred in "Klute", "The Morning After", "Agnes of God", "The China Syndrome" and "Old Gringo"?  Answer »
  • What was found in a trash can at the beginning of the film, "Agnes of God"?  Answer »
  • In what movie was Jane Fonda required to chain smoke?  Answer »
  • What do these movies have in common?: The Lady Vanishes (1938) The Sound of Music (1965) Agnes of God (1985) Thérèse (1986) Dead Man Walking (1995)   Answer »
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