Stigmata.

Stigmata.( Dir: Rupert Wainwright)

In all of my short life I have never genuinely been scared of any film I've ever seen (Oh, except Watership Down. Surely anyone who ever saw that film developed a deep set fear of rabbits and the countryside?!)

Anyway back to the point in hand. I was SCARED - simple as that. You may assume my religion would protect me from the type of storyline this fell into - Ooohh Noooo - I think my beliefs only served to make this film more believable. The film focuses on a 23 year old called Frankie (played by Patricia Arquette) a non believer of any thing, except good living. Who, after receiving a gift from her mother a set of rosary beads stolen from a dead Italian parish priest ?!) receives a succession of strange injuries mimicking the marks of the stigmata.

Luckily for her Fr. Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) a scientific priest (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one) is on the case. Sent out and about to disprove all claimed miracles, sightings and markings, Fr. Kiernan is sent to Pittsburg to meet Frankie, who up until then has been diagnosed epileptic (a sure sign of an epileptic being of course nail wounds to the wrist!!)

And so, together the Priest and Atheist set out to discover whats happening - at the same time accidentally uncovering the Catholic Churches biggest ever cover up.

An incredibly well written film. The evil eye of Patricia Arquette helps us believe the girl really is obsessed by an unknown force and the excellent Garbriel Bryne is as charming and convincing as ever.

Clare

Patricia Arquette plays a hairdresser/beautytherapist/tattoo woman called Frankie Paige living in Pittsburgh, who suddenly begins experiencing hallucinations as well as your general bleeding wrists, feet and head the wounds suffered by Christ while on the cross (which we all have experienced at sometime after a legendary piss up).

The Vatican hear of this and send Father Kiernan played by Gabriel Byrne who is a priest and a scientist who spends his time inspecting religious mysteries and proving them wrong. He quickly arrives in Pittsburg and finds Frankie. He then finds out that Frankie does not attend church or believe in God which is strange as most people who get the stigmata are religious freaks ( but most religious people are anyway).

Frankie then starts writing things in Aramaic a language not used in 2000 years and just happens to be the language spoken when Jesus was knocking about the earth and also used to write the Gospels. She then starts speaking in the voice of a man (which generally is a bad thing). Whilst this is going on the general head church guy cardinal is trying to stop Frankies writings as he believes they will bring down the church. There is also a bit of forbidden romance thrown in as well between Father Kiernan and Frankie.

This is a good movie with good acting you should go and see it if you like films which are about religion and the supernatural.

Mike

Guesthouse Paradiso
The Sixth Sense
The Blair Witch