When a young American woman begins exhibiting the characteristics of Stigmata (spontaneously bleeding from the wrists and forehead, speaking in Aramaic), a Vatican envoy is deployed to investigate whether the afflictions are demonic or divine. The dark, quick-cut cinematography of Jeffrey L. Kimball (JACOB'S LADDER) and a .. Read more
| Starring | Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long |
|---|---|
| Director | Rupert Wainwright |
| Genres | Horror, Thriller |
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When a young American woman begins exhibiting the characteristics of Stigmata (spontaneously bleeding from the wrists and forehead, speaking in Aramaic), a Vatican envoy is deployed to investigate whether the afflictions are demonic or divine. The dark, quick-cut cinematography of Jeffrey L. Kimball (JACOB'S LADDER) and a gothic soundscape assembled by Billy Corgan place the devil (of this film) in the details.
| Starring | Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long, Rade Serbedzija |
|---|---|
| Director | Rupert Wainwright |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired | English, German |
| Subtitles | DVD: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 10 Jul 2000 Production year: 1999 |
| Format | DVD |
The Exorcist meets Carrie in this dumb but fun religious horror. Patricia Arquette is the atheist hairdresser who suddenly starts suffering from vicious stigmata — wounds identical to the ones Christ received on the cross — which, understandably, hinder her ability to give a good cut and blow-dry. When Vatican priest Gabriel Byrne is sent to investigate, he realises that there are more to her gory wounds than meets the eye — especially when she starts spouting a strange tongue which may be the true language of Christ. A booming soundtrack (from Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins), flashy images and pop video-style direction by Rupert Wainwright add to the film's frenetic feel, while diverting us from some of the less plausible plot twists. It's silly, loud and gruesome, yet strangely entertaining.
"The horror genre hasn't boasted an EXORCIST knockoff in some time, and those who've been suffering the lack will get their fix with STIGMATA..."
The film can only be described in one word - masterpiece. It has been adapted from the true discovery of the Nag Hammadi scrolls in 1945, and has altered parts to suit the plot slightly, and locally, to emphasise and expose the conspiracy theories of the Vatican with regards to such phenomenon. At times, it tends to ridicule the Orthodox religion of Christianity, but this is done through the scrolls that have actually been discovered. The film delievers not only an entertaining and gripping story, but also allows faith in general to be viewed at a much more broader perspective. Performances by the entire cast are strong and lasting; the music could have been better to suit the story, though it works fine. Top marks to the entire unit for coming up with a daring and wholly exciting film!
Its no suprise that the more films I watch the more often I'm disappointed, having heard some good things about Stigmata, but largely having heard nothing, I held off watching this until now.
Well, one of the plus points about films whose subject is Christianity, or Catholicism in this case, is that they have a good stock of subject matter. So it is here. When a girl is inflicted with the signs of the cross a religious investigator is sent out to find out what is happening.
The film unfolds revealing some strange mysteries and what greats the investigating priest is an ever frightening level of events for both him and the girl.
Overall the ultimate question of why this girl is suffering and how she can be saved make for some tense entertainment. But couple that with the forces of political and personal conflict, that exist within the church, and we are treated with a delightful questioning of the fidelity of the goals of senior officials within the institution.
Another little known gem well worth the watch.