Stigmata

Name: Stigmata
Genre: Horror
Released: 2000-05-11
Duration: 1 h 43 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce

19991999
1616
1h 43min

6.2/10

66K

Horror

When a young woman becomes afflicted by stigmata, a priest is sent to investigate her case, which may have severe ramifications for his faith and for the Catholic Church itself.When a young woman becomes afflicted by stigmata, a priest is sent to investigate her case, which may have severe ramifications for his faith and for the Catholic Church itself.When a young woman becomes afflicted by stigmata, a priest is sent to investigate her case, which may have severe ramifications for his faith and for the Catholic Church itself.

6.2/10

66K

Director
- Rupert Wainwright
Writers
- Tom Lazarus(story)
- Rick Ramage(screenplay)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

Awards
- 6 nominations

Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne in Stigmata (1999)

Patricia Arquette and Jonathan Pryce in Stigmata (1999)

Patricia Arquette and Rupert Wainwright in Stigmata (1999)

Director
- Rupert Wainwright
Writers
- Tom Lazarus(story) (screenplay)
- Rick Ramage(screenplay)
All cast & crew

See production, box office, & company info

A priest from the Vatican is sent to Sao Paulo, Brazil to investigate the appearance of the face of the Virgin Mary on the side of a building. While there he hears of a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding tears in a small town outside of the city. Meanwhile, a young woman in the U.S. begins to show signs of stigmata, the wounds of Christ. The priest from the Vatican links up with her and cares for her as she is increasingly afflicted by the stigmata. Her ranting and raving finally begins to make sense to the priest who starts to question what his religion has stood for for the last 1900 years. —Jeff Mellinger <jmell@uclink4.berkeley.edu>

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Taglines
- The Messenger is Here
Genre
- Horror
Certificate
- 16
Parents guide

Trivia
The phrase "Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." comes from the "Gospel of Thomas" (Verse 77).

Goofs
The priest stated to Frankie that she was the same age as St. Francis when he received the stigmata, 23. In fact, St. Francis was 42 years old when he received the stimata.

Quotes
[Frankie is possessed by Father Alameida]
Frankie: Jesus said... the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood... and I am there, lift a stone... and you will find me.
Father Andrew Kiernan: Brother Alameida, I call upon you to release this woman. Give her grace and let her not come into the ways of harm. For through Jesus Christ we have all been saved and let us not fear any ill. For Jesus is with us, and the Unity of the Holy Spirit will remain forever, and ever. God bless your soul, Brother Alameida. And go in peace.

Alternate versions
The DVD release offers several scenes that were edited, reshot, or removed altogether after poor test screenings. Glimpses of several of these scenes can be seen in the movie's original theatrical trailer (also included on the DVD):
An alternate opening where Father Almeida commits suicide by jumping off of the roof of his church. In the final cut, there is no indication as to how he died.
A longer, much more explicit version of Frankie and her boyfriend Steve fooling around during the opening credits.
Before Frankie's first stimagtic attack, she experiences a series of strange occurances while closing her hair salon.
Also, before Frankie's first stigmatic attack, she comes home and is scared by her boyfriend Steve. The two have an argument.

Connections
Edited into Divine Rites: The Story of Stigmata (1999)

Soundtracks
Mary Mary (Stigmatic Mix)
Written by Danbert Nobacon, Bruce Duncan, Anne Holden, Louise Watts, Paul Greco,
Darren Hamer, Allen Whalley, and Judith Abbott
Performed by Chumbawamba
Courtesy of EMI Electrola GmbH and Universal Records
Universal Records under license from Universal Music Special Markets

Top review

Better than you might think

The "stigmata" is a Christian religious term that refers to the spontaneous appearance of wounds corresponding to the wounds on the Christ's body when he was crucified. This religious experience is most typically associated with deeply religious people and, I believe, is not one that is widely taken seriously. What makes this movie interesting is that it portrays the appearance of these wounds as a terrifying, extremely painful and ultimately humiliating experience. There's nothing conventionally religious in the experience portrayed here -- in fact, the victim is an athiest.

But, having bypassed the conventional, the movie is only partially successful in bringing the experience of the stigmata to the screen. The movie is a victim itself of a conventional portrayal of the evil bureaucratic Vatican desk jockeys suppressing "true" religion. And I have to admit that, as I was watching it, I found myself thinking, "Hmm, that sounds like the Gospel of Thomas," -- a famous Gnostic Gospel. Surprise.

But, overall, I'd recommend it as a decent movie and a departure from the generic, bland portrayal of Christian religious experience a la the Hallmark channel or "Touched by an Angel." It is a movie that can make you think about the nature of religious experience and its impact on an ordinary life.

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