Faith is challenged in Agnes

by Kathia Woods

Mickey Reece is back with Agnes, a dark comedy with a church communion theme. 

Agnes follows Father Donaghue (Ben Hall) and his apprentice Benjamin (Jake Horowitz) as they travel to a convent. The convent has a young nun named Agnes (Haley McFarland), who allegedly is possessed by a demonic spirit. Donaghue, who doesn't believe in demonic spirits, feels exorcisms have their place and help one's psyche. He's willing to do the whole production to help appease the diocese.

The convent, run studiously by Mother Superior (Mary Buss), is not thrilled at the thought of men being amongst their midst even if they are priests. She's willing to risk it to cure Agnes of the malevolent spirit.

Sadly, the demon is not so easily tossed. Donaghue and Benjamin are forced to take their task a bit more seriously. The days go by, and Donaghue must turn to Father Black (Chris Browning). A celebrity priest who has been ex-communicated. Naturally, Mother Superior and Benjamin aren't thrilled by this decision. Father Black isn't traditional in his methods and tends to test the most faithful with his theatrics.

Reece's approach is an astutely enigmatic one, in which one is welcomed in by all sort of normalcy, only to be unexpectedly thrown off their axis after several confounding turns. It's an unusual juxtaposition of familiar and strange - not in a manner that makes Agnes indiscernible or unwatchable, but rather in a way that makes it play like an unsolvable conundrum. In other words, Agnes is strange but funny. Many may not enjoy a film taking itself too seriously, and the plot is a little all over the place, but that's part of its charm.

The part where Sister Honey takes the Lord's name is vain is funny because she believes she was flited with. There is also the moment when the priests don't take Benjamin's concerns seriously by laughing. The film is filled with these uncomfortable moments laced with eccentric humor.

Agnes also tackles faith and how we allow it to power our lives. The film's title may be Agnes, but it's not about her but everyone around her, particularly Mary, who is skillfully played by( Molly C. Quinn). Mary joined the order after going through great loss and leaves it when she doesn't attain the peace she so desperately seeks.

There's a moment when she is alone with Benjamin and questions if one can really know God or receive his love. She's not sure he exists due to all the suffering she has seen and experienced. This ties back to Father Donaghue's challenges with faith.

Reece was smart in not giving us a clear answer on this. He wants the viewer to come to their own conclusion. It seems to me that he alludes that all of us who believe in God struggle with faith at times. It seems he wants the audience to focus on the Spiritual aspect of faith rather than religion.

This also supports the unique humor Reece puts on display. He is, in his way, mocking the pump and circumstance of the church. Agnes is about understanding that faith is imperfect no matter what we humans try to teach.