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.

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Plot Keywords:

cartoon on tv | aerial camera shot | bath | nonsexual nudity | priest | 

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Taglines:

The messenger must be silenced.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense violent sequences, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patricia Arquette's character is named Frankie (short for Frances), similar to the name of the saint, Francis, whom we're told by Gabriel Byrne's character was the first to receive the stigmata.

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Goofs

A desperate conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the existence of the newly-rediscovered Gospel of Thomas, which would apparently destroy the entire institution of religion if discovered. However, it was actually discovered in 1945, and published (and translated) shortly after with no opposition whatsoever.

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Quotes

Dr. Reston: What's happening in your life, Frankie? Do you have a lot of stress at work?
Frankie: I cut hair.
Dr. Reston: Any trouble with a significant other?
Frankie: Yes.
Dr. Reston:

• And that is?

Frankie: I'm not very significant.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in WhatCulture Horror: 10 Horror Movies Critics Were Way Too Harsh On (2021)

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Soundtracks

Inertia Creeps
Written by Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall (as Grantley Marshall) and Andrew Vowles (as Andrew Vowles)
Performed by Massive Attack
Courtesy of Circa Records, Ltd.
By Arrangement with Virgin Records America, Inc.

User Reviews

I very underestimated movie

This movie is a proof (at least to me) that you should not always trust reviews and user comments. After reading comments on this movie I had a picture that it wouldn't be very good at all, but I was certainly corrected on that point. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The movie is quite "heavy" though, so I can understand that it doesn't appeal to everyone, but for anyone who likes a little depth and aren't influenced by what other people think I really recommend this movie. I rated it 9 out of 10, and it was certainly 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