Agnes of God (1985):A Film Critique - Movie Review Example

Agnes of God (1985 A Film Critique Agnes of God is a 1985 film adaptation of a play of the same written by John Pielmeier and directed by Norman Jewison. It is a story of three women with similar psychopathological problems in varying degrees: Dr. Martha Livingston, a psychiatrist; Mother Miriam, the superior of a Catholic convent; and Sister Agnes, a novice nun. The plot revolves around Agnes, who was found one night with a strangled baby in a waste basket in her room. Dr. Livingston was asked by the court investigating the matter to determine the culpability of Sister Agnes through an objective scientific psychiatric inquiry. Mother Miriam wanted to protect the innocence of Agnes and the convent's reputation, and to avoid causing more damage to Agnes's fragile spirit she wanted to treat the incident as a supernatural event. The crushing experience squeezed and revealed the dark and dramatic inner secrets of the past. Dr. Livingston's scientific objectivity turned out to be a convenient mask for an obsessive and insecure soul tormented by a childhood inferiority complex. Hated by her mother who treated her as inferior to a deceased sister who was a nun, Martha turned atheist after the death of a good friend whom she idolized for her beauty. She divorced her husband, had an abortion, and made her name as a chain-smoking feminist psychiatrist. Her weaknesses and self-doubt were revealed by her mental jousts with Mother Miriam over Agnes's case. Mother Miriam was a self-confessed failure as a wife and mother, hated by her own children for her incapacity to love. She fled the world to seek refuge in the convent, hoping to find peace and achieve a modicum of personal redemption. Rising to her position, she dispenses her duties through a noble demeanor that masked a past life of frivolity. When Agnes, who turned out to be the daughter of Miriam's scandalous sister who was notorious for her promiscuity, showed up at the convent, it would be understandable that Miriam would do all in her power to prevent the family's dark psychopathological secrets from coming out. The encounters between these two authority figures - one religious, the other secular - revealed their similarities to each other in more ways than each one cared to admit. On one hand, Martha in her scientific obsession wanted to prove Agnes was raped, not realizing doing so could do more harm than good. On the other, Miriam's selfish desire to avoid further scandal to the family, the convent, and her authority led her to find a criminal solution. When her solution was botched, she resorted to treating Agnes's pregnancy as the result of divine intervention, a line of reasoning not based on her solid faith but on her self-conceit. Agnes is an innocent soul damaged by the cruelties of her mother (Miriam's sister), who was ashamed of her and spent the last years of her life destroying Agnes's self-esteem by repeatedly saying her birth was a terrible mistake. Agnes attributed her dull wit to her being dropped on her head when she was a baby, which proves her mother never cared for her. Her mother physically and sexually abused her, called her ugly and dumb and never even bothered to educate her in the world and about the facts and origins of life. After her mother died, Agnes was thrown into the convent to be cared for by an unwitting Miriam, who was shocked to realize Agnes was her niece. Soon after she learned the truth, Agnes began experiencing fits of delusion, hallucinations, and paranoia, and developed an eating disorder, claiming her mother - who may have been Miriam after all, although this is not clear in the film - appeared and told her she was too fat and sexy. She also suffered from delayed menstruation, and had visions explained as messages from the other world. She entertained masochistic thoughts and expressed a desire to suffer like the emaciated saints she looked up to as models of holiness. Although she initially denied it, Mother Miriam (who had been a biological mother) must have seen the symptoms of Agnes's pregnancy as soon as they appeared. Miriam's hopes were crushed, as it could be imagined that one who desired to make up for her past failures in raising her children wanted to make a holy nun out of her niece. Her "faith" put to a severe test, she blinked. From Agnes's fear of and hatred for authority in the form of Miriam, it can be deduced that it was Miriam who was behind everything, and it was she who crushed Agnes's spirit, killed the baby, and drove Agnes to the edge when (and it is not medically impossible), in fact, the baby (like Agnes's bleeding hands) could have been the product of divine intervention. Given the symptoms she exhibited, Agnes was suffering from delusional disorder, a form of schizophrenia and psychosis. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (APA, 2000, 297.1), delusional disorders are marked by false beliefs with a plausible basis in reality. Formerly referred to as paranoid disorders, delusional disorders involve erotomanic, grandiose, jealous, somatic, or persecutory themes. Patients experience several types of delusions or experience unspecified delusions with no dominant theme. Typically chronic, these disorders interfere with social relationships, but seldom impair intellectual or occupational functioning significantly. Delusional disorder is distinguished from schizophrenia by the presence of delusions without other symptoms of schizophrenia. The delusion of a virgin conception may be bizarre by secular standards, but within the environment of a religious convent, such may be a distinct possibility. Compared to schizophrenia, delusional disorder is relatively uncommon. Psychosocial functioning is not as impaired as it is in schizophrenia, and impairments usually arise directly from the delusional belief. Delusions are firmly held, stable, but false beliefs that are not consistent with the patient's educational or cultural background and are not given up even in the face of contrary evidence are essential features of psychosis. Delusions take many forms, such as persecutory or grandiose ideas, thoughts of being controlled, believing that external events have specific personal meaning, or ideas of a religious nature (Kahan and Smith, 2004). Delusional disorder may arise in the context of a pre-existing paranoid personality disorder. In such people, distrust and suspiciousness of others and their motives begins in early adulthood and extends throughout life. Early symptoms may include the feeling of being exploited, preoccupation with the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends, a tendency to read threatening meanings into benign remarks or events, persistent bearing of grudges, and a readiness to respond to perceived slights. The disorder can be hereditary, linked to inferiority feelings in the family, or the product of specific early childhood experiences with an authoritarian family structure. People with a sensitive personality are vulnerable to developing a delusional disorder. Certain medical conditions such as a head injury or chronic alcoholism increase the risks. Predisposing factors such as isolation, lack of stimulating interpersonal relationships, physical illness, and severe stress may precipitate a delusional disorder. Those suffering from delusional disorder deny the symptoms of their illness and refuse treatment. Although these symptoms commonly begin in middle or late adulthood, they can also occur at a younger age. Patients have problems maintaining social relationships and exhibit depression or sexual dysfunction, and live a life of social isolation or hostility. Gathering accurate information from a delusional patient may prove difficult as they deny their feelings, disregard the circumstances that lead to hospitalization, and refuse treatment. Almost all these symptoms were accurately portrayed by Agnes in the film, which also consistently provided a general background of her family history that pointed to a predisposition to suffer from the psychological disorder: an authoritative but indifferent mother who hurt her physically, mentally, and emotionally, and an aunt who deprived her of the peace and rest that she thought she would find inside the convent. Martha's inquiries only worsened matters and drove Agnes to mentally snap. The acting of Martha and Miriam reflected their cynicism and inner desire for authority based on the mild delusional disorder they shared with Agnes which, perhaps because of their intelligence and world experience, they were able to hide more subtly but that also came out as they dealt with each other. The good acting in the film was a key strong point, and each one's efforts to keep their psychological masks on and off provided the movie's entertainment value. As to weak points, the film had a few. One was the confusion as to whether it was a human drama or a detective story. Martha's sleuthing, although it reflected an objective and scientific desire to get to the bottom of the mystery, was a poor excuse to add suspense to the plot, and distracted from the discovery of the real key to the solution, which is Miriam's culpability and efforts to obstruct justice. Another weak point is Martha allowing Miriam to be in the room during Agnes's interrogation, which only added to the stress and made matters worse. In dealing with a delusional patient, the psychiatrist must be direct, straightforward, and dependable, and whenever possible, know how to elicit her feedback. The psychiatrist must move slowly and matter-of-factly and respond without anger or defensiveness to hostile remarks. Martha looked like a nervous wreck, her short hair making her look like a frustrated nun whose inner tensions were obviously felt by Agnes's sensitive soul. Instead of being cured, Agnes's condition worsened, which was exactly the judgment desired by Miriam. The ending scene combines a less cynical-sounding Martha expressing "hope" that the "miracle" would be repeated. Perhaps, Miriam would be converted and show Agnes the love she has thus far been denied But given her dismal record, don't bet on it. Reference List American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Columbia Pictures (Producer) & Jewison, N. (Director). (13 September 1985). Agnes of God (Motion Picture). USA: Columbia Pictures Corporation. Kahan, S. & Smith, E.G. (2004). In a Page: Signs and Symptoms. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Read More