'Agnes' Is A Quietly Powerful, And Quirky, Think Piece About Love, Loss, And Faith
Every now and again a film comes along which takes an old trope in a wholly new direction. Agnes, co-written and directed by Mickey Reece, plays with the idea of demon possession through a series of lenses.
Agnes begins simply enough, with a young nun, Sister Agnes, showing signs of possession both physical and supernatural. Dishes rattling. Doors slamming shut on their own. Agnes spewing profanity not typical of her demeanor. Worried about her present state, the church brings in Father Donaghue, an old salt with a controversial past, and his young protege Benjamin to excise the entity.
The first half of the film plays as an almost old school exorcism flick. A slow and meandering study of those involved, namely the old and young priests' ideas of what is going on, Mother Superior and her flock, each with their own little quirks, and Sister Mary (Molly C. Quinn), a troubled sister who has the closest relationship with the possessed. What follows is an almost tongue in cheek narrative about the questioning of faith for all who come in contact with Agnes. Everything from the lighting, music, and costuming gives Agnes that gritty feel of late 60's horror with a peppering of funny moments and observations, setting the tone for a typical first half.
After several failed, and gruesome, attempts to expel the demon, the movie shifts in a most interesting way. Around the halfway point, Sister Mary is asked to watch over the embattled Agnes, adding to Mary's crisis of faith. The two talk like old friends, without the trappings of their holy vows. In that time, we are given a glimpse into Agnes' past and the love she left behind, comedian Paul Stachimo (Sean Gunn in one of the best roles in the film). This sparks Mary to decide to leave the life of religious servitude and go back to her normal existence as a private citizen. As she leaves, Agnes says one crucial sentence, "I will always be with you."
These parting words act as the catalyst to the second act of the film. We find Mary living in a tiny apartment, struggling to get by on her meager earnings as a grocery store clerk. The tone of the entire piece shifts away from the pseudo-horror presented in the start. Mary becomes our focus, delving deep into her past as she interacts with the denizens of her new life, a lecherous boss (This Is Us star Chris Sullivan), her landlord, and Paul Satchimo, who she opens up to about Agnes as well as Mary's child who past away, leaving her to question her faith and become a nun.
Strange emotions begin to exude from Mary as her new life becomes increasingly difficult, alluding that Agnes might have passed the demon onto her. Loud outbursts and violent behavior lead her to contact Benjamin, the priest in training who assisted Agnes with her possession. In a quiet climax, the audience is given an open ended conclusion of Mary's dilemma.
Agnes is not exactly what you think it is as the story unfolds. Beginning as a movie about Catholic faith and the existence of otherworldly entities to be cast out of our world. Instead, transforming into a female driven drama about how we carry our demons, literal and figurative, throughout our lives, learning to deal with the many hardships stemming from the pain that is not always in our control. It's how we deal with these moments which shape us in the long run.
Some may be put off by the jarring nature of the mid-film transition from Agnes to Mary, but that is part of the beauty of this film. While talking to director Mickey Reece, he discussed how sometimes stories are up for personal interpretation and this is certainly the case with Agnes. Structuring the movie this way works well to give the audience a quietly reflective experience they can each take something different from in the end. Refreshingly non-linear in narrative, surprisingly funny, and most of all original, Agnes is a powerful work that stands out from other films of its ilk.
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