Stigmata (1999)

1.5 out of 4

Starring: Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long, Portia de Rossi

Director: Rupert Wainwright

Time: 103 mins

Repetitious loud music, repetitious MTV-styled editing showing nails being hammered into limbs, repetitious shots of water dropping... These are the main images from my viewing of Stigmata, a horror-film-wannabe that was released hot on the heels of horror successes like The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project. While it tries to mix scares with commentary on faith and catholicism, the result is an annoying film that jars and bores until the final half hour.

Patricia Arquette plays Frankie Paige, a hairdresser who likes to live and party hard with friends Donna (Long) and Jennifer (Ally McBeal's de Rossi). One day she receives a package from her mother holidaying in South America, containing the rosary of a recently deceased priest. When she unexpectedly receives puncture wounds to her wrist and whip-like sores to her back, Father Andrew Kiernan (Byrne) is sent from the Vatican to investigate. Though Frankie's wounds look like stigmata (the wounds suffered by Jesus Christ when being crucified), her atheism presents a stumbling block, as stigmata only manifest in people who have faith. Kiernan is even more confused when she starts uttering an ancient language that was used in Christ's time. Soon other priests are involved, including Kiernan's superior Cardinal Houseman (Pryce), and the race is on to save Frankie and find the truth behind her dilemma.

There is an intriguing story behind Stigmata, but it is hidden behind sudden bursts of loud music and too many shots of water dropping and splashing. It's almost as if director Wainwright is trying to reinforce his artistic intentions down your throat. Believe me, after the third or fourth scene depicting falling water, I get the point. But no, water is shown dropping several more times - in the bath, on people's foreheads, etc. And the scenes showing the stigmata being inflicted on Frankie are quite repetitious, too, flashing by with multiple images of her wearing a crown of thorns and her wrists being impaled with nails. These scenes are supposed to be scary, but after a while, they're just boring. When the story finally starts to make sense, the film becomes more interesting, but by then it's almost over.

The acting is average throughout, with no one really performing in an outstanding manner. Arquette is adequate as the plagued Frankie, though it's hard to believe she can pass for 23 years of age. I suppose constant hard partying can age a person pretty quickly. Byrne is a very capable actor, and though he lends a bit of dignity to the proceedings, he looks half-lost most of the time. Yes, he is supposed to look confused, but amidst the ferocious blasts of heavy music and scenes of water dropping, anyone would. Did I mention too many scenes of water dropping?

The revelations contained in the final moments are damning, and bring some relevance to the story, but can't quite rescue the film. If you're interested in religious phenomena, loud music, and scenes of water dropping, then Stigmata might just be your cup of tea. If not, there are better religious thrillers out there.

(c) Joe Wong