In Agnes, director Mickey Reece tackles both the terror of an exorcism and a crisis of faith. Within the thriller, a reported demonic possession of a nun named Agnes sparks an investigation by the Catholic Church. The suspected possession brings the disillusioned Father Donaghue (Ben Hall) and priest in training, Benjamin (Jake Horowitz), to the strict convent. What starts as an overplayed pairing -- experienced exorcist and naive mentee -- transforms into an entirely different story when Mary (Molly C. Quinn), the friend of the possessed nun, leaves the convent and her religion behind. Although the film's shift provides some commentary on the Catholic Church and the good versus evil trope, the film is more concerned with following Mary's arc.

Agnes opens with the titular character's abrupt possession. While sharing a meal with her fellow sisters, Agnes flies into a demonic rage, shouting off expected profanities and slurs. The table shakes, and a teacup levitates in the air with B-movie flair. In combination with Mother Superior's (Mary Buss) wide eyes, the scene seemingly plays for laughs. Father Donaghue's introduction further adds to the comedy. He is an exorcist who doesn't believe in demons and enjoys wisecracks and sneaking liquor. His character pairs well with his mentee, a pious model priest.

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Agnes - Father Donaghue, Benjamin and Mother Superior

However, it's soon revealed that the likable Father Donaghue has been accused of child molestation -- allegations he doesn't deny. When Benjamin asks the bishop and high-ranking priests if he'll be safe working with Donaghue, they respond with laughs and say, "You're a grown man, Benjamin. You're going to be just fine." The camera bounces between their laughing faces and taxidermy animals mounted to the wall. It's an unusual sequence that implies Agnes is a satirical film that isn't afraid to explore the hypocrisy and controversy surrounding the Catholic Church.

That said, the film struggles to figure out precisely what its message is. It bounces from comedy to horror to what feels like a slow-burn drama. The first half of Agnes primarily occurs in the convent, whereas the second part exists in the "everyday" world. After a possessed Agnes attacks another priest, Mary leaves the convent. She strikes out on her own, getting a small apartment she can barely afford with her grocery store clerk salary. The world outside the convent is grayer and punctuated by muted colors. The cinematography is pleasing, adding almost a sinister nature to unassuming places like the grocery store and laundry mat. Although the transition presents an interesting juxtaposition, it causes the film to feel a bit disjointed. In many ways, it appears like the first and second parts of the film were written/directed by two different people -- which it wasn't.

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Agnes - Sister Mary

The film becomes simultaneously intriguing and tedious as Mary navigates mundane daily life, a creepy boss and sits through a whole standup comedy set. At the same time, it seems evil is overtaking her. What keeps the film engaging is the desire to figure it all out with that "Aha!" moment. Unfortunately, that "Aha!" never really comes. As Mary appears to experience early signs of possession, horror fans expect the big showdown Agnes lacks. Other than a semi-exciting encounter around the halfway point, Agnes doesn't have a clear climax.

Director/co-writer Mickey Reece's style has been described as "people talking in rooms." In that respect, Agnes meets the mark. However, it's an unusual style for those unfamiliar with Reece's work, especially when applied to the exorcism subgenre. Nonetheless, the film seems self-aware of that fact. When Benjamin calls out Father Donaghue for being dramatic during the exorcism, he agrees, saying, "It has to be. It's an exorcism." Later, the characters make comments about a "slow burn" and making it okay for audiences to laugh when they want. In retrospect, many of these remarks point to a meta-take on the subgenre. However, it doesn't read quite as obvious as movies known for that approach, like Wes Craven's Scream or Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2.

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Agnes - Sister Mary at convent

Furthermore, while Reece touches on many themes -- grief, faith, hypocrisy and finding a happy medium between good and evil -- it never truly lands on one thing. While it's clear the characters and subject matter are a metaphor, what exactly it's a metaphor for remains unclear. It certainly makes for robust conversation, considering many things can be argued. However, it shouldn't be that hard to see the bigger picture. Despite this, Agnes' stellar cast carries the film, with Ben Hall helming the lead in the film's first half and Molly C. Quinn in the second.

Although there's a lot to like, anyone who's seen the trailer -- which sets Agnes up as a largely serious film -- is sure to be disappointed. In that same vein, the absence of exorcism tropes and the second act's sharp turn to a slow-burn melodrama are sure to confuse most horror fans. Overall, it holds a lot of unfulfilled potential that could have benefited from a concrete theme.

Co-written by Mickey Reece and John Selvidge and directed by Reece, Agnes stars Molly C. Quinn, Jake Horowitz, Sean Gunn, Ben Hall, Mary Buss and Chris Sullivan.

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