Expert: 7devonapes - 12/24/2007

Question
What is the solution to the mystery of who impregnated Sister Agnes?  She says: he sang to her for 6 days, a song of unimaginable beauty, then on the 7th day appeared to her in the moonlight, spread his wings over her and lay on top of her... soooo... is this an angel.. a field hand.. and if so.. why would they murder a baby of divine birth.. or was it demonic?  I dont get it... if it is one of those movies to leave you guessing or arrive at your conclusion.. or was there something I missed?   thanks.  enjoy the holidays... this is for trivial discussion at the family gathering.. arguing what the heck was that all about?

Answer
Hi Anthony,

I haven't actually seen this film yet, but I checked out imdb.com's message boards and have come across some answers/opinions from other people who have indeed seen the film. From what I gather about the ending, it looks as though the writer and director have deleberatly left this a mystery. I've included a few thoughts from various different people below:

'merouda' Says:

"The point of displaying the stigmata in the story is pretty simple. Agnes' pregnacy is a mystery believed by some of the characters to be a miracle. Genuine stigmata is considered a holy miracle in the Catholic church. Thus, if Agnes is stigmatic, then it is possible that the baby is also a gift of faith, adding to the mystery of the baby.

However, as the psychological explaination of stigmata leans towards the bleeding as an effect of the mind--i.e., your subconscious creates the bleeding--it also speaks to the state of mind Agnes lives in. Agnes isn't psychologically well, has clearly been damaged by a brutal upbringing, and exists in her own world.

Now consider the psychiatrist, who is a lapsed Catholic and is forced to confront her own faith by the mystery surrounding Agnes. The stigmata, as something that is considered a mystery of faith by her church and a mystery of the mind by her profession, encapsulates the difficulty of the psychiatist's position. She has to try to find the answer to a mystery that may be ultimately unsolvable.

And, ultimately, the mystery of Agnes is unsolvable. The question of the father is not solved in the movie, and while the baby is the result of a probable rape that drove a damaged girl even farther out of reality, there is a certain amount of mystery to Agnes that can never be explained--consider the scene when Agnes asks the psychiatrist "Who is Marie?"

'nailhead' says:

"I always assumed it was supposed to have been Michael, at least that's the way they portray it in the film. That's what the dying nun mouths to Agnes on her death bed, when Agnes disappears and is impregnated."

'Evangeline1' says:

"I saw this movie years ago but I remember when watching it that I got the imperssion that this baby as NOT an immacualte conception. I got the impression that it had something to do with a "mystery" man who Agnes used to see in the barn. Agnes seemed so naive to life outside the walls of the convent that she would believe anything this man would tell her, whether that was that he was an angel or whatever else he told her. I also got the impression she was not at all knowledgeable on matters to do with sex. I seem to remember she was talking at one point about the song that the man in the barn used to sing but i couldnt grasp what she was saying...it sounded like some little rhyme?
Did anyone else hear clearly what Agnes said that this man in the barn was actually saying?"

Here is the rhyme that appears in the film/play:

"Charlie's neat, and Charlie's sweet,
And Charlie, he's a dandy,
Every time he goes to town,
He gets his girl some candy.
Over the river, and through the trees,
Over the river to Charlies,
Over the river and through the trees,
To bake a cake for Charlie."

It is a traditional song which has other verses indicating a girl who loses her virginity. Agnes says that this is the song "He" sang to her when he "lay on top of her" on the seventh night. She also says that the songs he sang were all new to her.

Anyway... not sure if any of this helps, but you should check out imdb.com for more answers. To me it looks as though they're implying it was the ground's keeper/field hand, though take you pick really. I must check this movie out some time soon.

Best of luck,
Ryan