Stigmata (1999)

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.

Director:

Rupert Wainwright

Writers:

Tom Lazarus (story), Tom Lazarus (screenplay)

Stars:

Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patricia Arquette	...	Frankie Paige
Gabriel Byrne	...	Father Andrew Kiernan
Jonathan Pryce	...	Cardinal Daniel Houseman
Nia Long	...	Donna Chadway
Thomas Kopache	...	Father Durning
Rade Serbedzija	...	Marion Petrocelli (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Enrico Colantoni	...	Father Dario
Dick Latessa	...	Father Gianni Delmonico
Portia de Rossi	...	Jennifer Kelliho
Patrick Muldoon	...	Steven
Ann Cusack	...	Dr. Reston
Shaun Toub	...	Doctor
Tom Hodges	...	ER Nurse
Lydia Hazan	...	Attending Nurse
Shaun Duke	...	Dr. Eckworth (as Duke Moosekian)

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

cartoon on tv | aerial camera shot | priest | stigmata | wound | 

---

Taglines:

This Summer, What Will You Believe?

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense violent sequences, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The house Frankie Paige is taken to towards the end of the film is the Filoli Mansion, located 40km south of San Francisco. The movie The Game (1997) also features the Filoli Mansion and both movies show very similar shots of its front entrance.

---

Goofs

Just before Frankie storms out of the café she has a very long cigarette in her hand. when she puts it out in the ash tray though, it is finished, just the filter remains.

---

Quotes

[Frankie is possessed by Father Alameida]
Father Andrew Kiernan: Frankie? Frankie... who are you?
Frankie: The messenger is not important.

---

Alternate Versions

A single shot of Jennifer and Steve looking at Frankie after she stands up and runs out of the club was not included in theatrical release but appears in most dvd/video release version.

---

Connections

Referenced in Friend Request (2016)

---

Soundtracks

All Is Full of Love
Written by Björk (as Bjork Gudmundsdottir)
Performed by Björk
Courtesy of One Little Indian Records / Elektra Entertainment Group / Mother Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

anti church, but not anti-god

i thought this movie was excellent. the take on what stigmata is, the 'miracle' of it, the historical and religious views of stigmata are brought together within the plot of the movie.

it is definitely anti-church, or rather, anti-establishment and anti-church politics. but it is not anti-god. the movie points out what many people believe already, that you do not need a church building to believe in god.

yet, it's not a religious movie. it's not really a horror movie. there are parts that are horrific, and it will make you think. don't watch this if you're in the mood for mindless entertainment. see it, and make your own judgements on what it's about. even if you don't agree with the premise, the acting and the storyline are well worth it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Portuguese Italian Aramaic

Release Date:

10 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Toby's Story

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,309,666, 12 September 1999

Gross USA:

$50,046,268

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$89,446,268

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), FGM Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1