Stars: Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long, Rade Serbedzija

Director: Rupert Wainwright

Summary: Frankie has no cares or worries and certainly no faith in God. All that changes when she begins to suffer the Stigmata - living wounds of the crucified Christ. It is soon discovered that Frankie could be channelling a message that could destroy the Church - and must be silenced...

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.

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Gabriel Byrne plays Father Kiernan, a young Jesuit priest whose degree in chemistry makes him a sort of priest/detective as he investigates weeping Marys and the like around the world. Meanwhile, Frankie (Patricia Arquette), a rave-generation Pittsburgher, is afflicted with the stigmata--holes that appear in her wrists, resembling the wounds of Christ. The young woman's symptoms filter back to the Vatican and Father Kiernan is assigned to the case. The priest is puzzled by Frankie's atheism; usually the stigmata only appear on the devout (hence the age-old controversy of miracles vs. hysteria). Other manifestations appear on Frankie, and the priest's cardinal (Jonathan Pryce) is brought in, leading to political manoeuvring within the Church hierarchy. The film owes a large and obvious debt to The Exorcist(at one point, Frankie's bed scoots across the room and she levitates into a crucifix position) but to term it an Exorcistrip-off would be to short-change Stigmata. The premise and screenplay are more cerebral than in the l973 film, and the source of the phenomenon is coming from a completely different place.

Unfortunately, amid Stigmata's high-octane editing and slick technique, the chills of The Exorcistaren't there, giving the movie a sort of identity crisis: horror movie or intellectual thriller? Several elements of the film challenge basic tenets of the Catholic faith, hence the brief furore that erupted at the time of the film's release; if nothing else, the internal workings of the Church are shown in a very unflattering light indeed. Byrne excels as the sceptical priest, as does Arquette as the tortured young woman. All told, Stigmatais a rather uneven effort but one with a thought-provoking combination of theology and thrills served up in a thoroughly modern, stylish package. Fans of TV's Ally McBeal will recognise Portia De Rossi in a supporting role. --Jerry Renshaw

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Alternative Ending, The Story Of Stigmata, 5 Deleted Scenes, Music Video, Directors Commentary, 8 Page Making Of Booklet, Chapter Selection, Original Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Year:	1999
Release Date:	July 10, 2000
Runtime:	109 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	15764 D V D
Keywords:	General, Horror, Occult, Sci, Fi, Stigmata
Genre:	Horror/Occult