by Yazmin Ghonaim
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by Yazmin Ghonaim |
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Stigmata is a film which toys with the intriguingly complex topics of Christ, the Catholic Church and the roles these play in modern society. Written by Tom Lazarus and Rick Ramage, Stigmata 's premise revolves around the idea of the suppressed existence of a thirteenth Gospel, one which was written by Christ and which --if revealed-- would threaten the position and power of the Church. The story evolves from the introduction of Frankie Paige, an average atheist girl living in Pittsburgh. She receives a rosary in the mail from her mother, who is in Brazil and who had unknowingly purchased the stolen rosary which belonged to a recently deceased priest. It is later known that the priest was one of three who were involved in investigating the discovery of a missing Dead Sea Scroll, a dangerous fact which alerted and displeased the Vatican. Although the connection is never verbalized, it is understood that the rosary provides a direct link between the priest's violated spirit and Paige. The story then focuses on Paige as she begins experiencing stigmata, or the wounds associated with the crucifixion of Christ. As the Vatican's assigned investigator, priest Andrew Kiernan convinces the head of the "Miracles Division" that the case of the stigmata-inflicted girl should not be dismissed as a "false miracle". Conflict arises when Kiernan is confronted by the very spirit which now possesses Paige and is led to an evidence so revolutionary that he must turn against his powerful leaders. In spite of the interesting premise and of the conflicts rising around it, the film does not fully integrate a valuable exploration of these issues. Instead, it glamorizes the visual representations of the "Christlike" torture; it focuses on providing a series of images that visualize the protagonist's experiences of stigmata and of being possessed by an angered spirit. The images provided are the representations of the stigmata: her wrists and feet start bleeding, an invisible crown of thorns pierces her scalp, and an invisible whip opens the skin on her back. Mainly seen in close-up view and being repeated a number of times through fast edits, these shots are inter-cut with other shots of wrists and feet being visibly nailed, thus paralleling Paige's unexplainable wounds with the real ones associated with the Christ figure. However, the shot which most clearly evidences the process of glamorization is a close-up view of Paige's face. Brightly lit and with heavy makeup, the face is in three-quarters' view and tilted back, occupying the left side of the frame; a crown of thorns rests on her head and a pair of crystal blue eyes with rich, black mascara look dreamily off-screen (towards the right). Blood drips down her face, leaving a crimson trail on her smooth complexion. (This brief shot is intercut numerous times throughout the torture sequences.) In addition to the design of the visual representations of the wounds, other filmic figures contribute to the glamorization process, the most predominant of which include the figures of doves (representing the coming or the presence of a spirit); blood (representing the pain, torture and sacrifice of Christ); and fire, water and wind (representing the altered state of nature as it reacts to the presence of a spirit or supernatural force). Appearing at least three times throughout the entire film, the effect of these images/figures is defined in terms of the degree of repetition: 1) in the first appearance, the image is introduced; 2) in the second, it is recognized; 3) and in the third, it is exploited. Although the film initially defines its two worlds as two separate realities --the religious one and the one which Paige inhabits-- it makes use of its glamorized filmic images/figures as unifying elements: they are the visualization of both worlds intersecting. The other similar element, priest/scientist Andrew Kiernan, is given this same function, although at a more complex level. Acting as a weighty anchor of realism in a sea of mythical images, Kiernan is a multidimensional character whose mind, body and soul tend to branch off into three distinct forces: 1) science, which allows him to research, study and understand claims of miracles, 2) love, which draws him close to Paige, and 3) religion, which demands that he give up the other two. In sum, as a result of the dimensionality of the priest/scientist character and of the complex issues surrounding the corruption of the Vatican heads, the film finds some redemption. However, the exploitation of the representative images of stigmata --the true focus of the film, as its title declares-- overwhelm the more interesting, intellectualized elements, in favor of those elements which seek to appeal to a sensationalist perspective, and which account for an uncompromising resolution of the plot. |
    
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