Agnes of God Page #7

MARTHA:

What does this have to do with..?

MONSIGNOR:

And you had a sister who died in the

convent.

MARTHA:

Who told you this?

MONSIGNOR:

Do you still go to church?

MARTHA:

What business is it of yours..?

MONSIGNOR:

Oh, we just wonder if you can be very

objective about this case.

MARTHA:

Look, Father, ah... just because I

don't subscribe to the... to the beliefs

you subscribe to...

MONSIGNOR:

(halting)

But what you believe makes no difference

to us whatsoever Doctor. But it does

make all the difference to Agnes.

MARTHA:

I don't understand. Are you expecting me

to..?

MONSIGNOR:

Well somone's got to suffer for this Doctor.

You've got to be merciful and quick. Excuse

me.

Martha stares at him as he walks away.

51 EXT - CONVENT - DAY

A single shot of the back of the convent and the belltower. The

bell is

ringing.

52 INT - BELLTOWER - DAY

Mother Miriam is ringing the bell and it takes quite a

considerable effort.

53 EXT - CONVENT FARMYARD - DAY

Agnes has a wheelbarrow full of straw and manure. She dumps it

on a pile.

54 INT - COWSHED - DAY

Martha is watching Agnes milking a cow.

MARTHA:

Agnes, I'm here because I want to help

you.

AGNES:

I'm not sick.

MARTHA:

But you're troubled... aren't you?

AGNES:

That's because you keep reminding me.

If you go away then I'll forget.

MARTHA:

And you're unhappy.

AGNES:

Everyone's unhappy, you're unhappy aren't

you?

MARTHA:

Agnes...

AGNES:

Answer me! You never answer me.

MARTHA:

Sometimes, yes.

AGNES:

Only you think you're lucky because

you didn't have a mother who said things

to you and did things to you that maybe

weren't always nice but that was because

of me, because I was bad, not her.

Agnes carries the milk pail round to the churn.

MARTHA:

What did you do?

AGNES:

I'm always bad.

MARTHA:

What did you do?

AGNES:

I breathed!

Agnes falls to her knees. Martha moves round and kneels in

front of her.

MARTHA:

Agnes. What did your mother do to

you?

(no answer)

If you can't answer me, just shake

your head yes or no. Did... did she

hit you?

(Anges shakes her head: no)

Did she make you do something you

didn't want to?

(yes)

Did it make you feel uncomfortable

to do it?

(yes)

Did it embarrass you?

(yes)

Did it... did it hurt you?

(yes)

What did she make you you do?

AGNES:

No...

MARTHA:

You can tell me.

AGNES:

I can't.

MARTHA:

She's dead isn't she?

AGNES:

Yes.

MARTHA:

She can't hurt you any more.

AGNES:

She can.

MARTHA:

How?

AGNES:

She watches... she listens.

MARTHA:

Agnes, I don't believe that. Tell me.

I'll protect you from her.

AGNES:

She...

MARTHA:

Yes?

AGNES:

... makes me...

MARTHA:

Yes?

AGNES:

... take off my clothes and then...

she makes fun of me.

MARTHA:

She tells you you're ugly?

AGNES:

Yes.

MARTHA:

And that you're stupid?

AGNES:

Yes.

MARTHA:

That you're a mistake?

AGNES:

She says my whole body's a mistake.

MARTHA:

Why?

AGNES:

Because she says if I don't watch out

I'll have a baby.

MARTHA:

How does she know that?

AGNES:

Her headaches.

MARTHA:

Oh, yes.

AGNES:

And then...

MARTHA:

What?

AGNES:

She touches me down there with a

cigarette.

(Martha gasps)

Please Mommy, don't touch me like that

any more. I'll be good, I won't be a baby

any more.

MARTHA:

Agnes, oh Agnes, Agnes I want you to do

something. I want you to pretend that

I'm your mother. Oh yes, only this time

I want you to tell me what you're feeling,

alright?

AGNES:

I'm afraid.

MARTHA:

Please! I want to help you. Let me help

you.

AGNES:

Alright.

MARTHA:

Agnes, you're ugly!... what do you say?

Of course you do. Agnes, you're ugly!...

what do you say?

AGNES:

No I'm not.

MARTHA:

Are you pretty?

AGNES:

Yes.

MARTHA:

Agnes, you're stupid.

AGNES:

No I'm not.

MARTHA:

Are you intelligent?

AGNES:

(more forcefully)

Yes I am.

MARTHA:

You're a mistake.

AGNES:

(shouting)

I'm not mistake, I'm here aren't I.

How can I be a mistake if I'm really

here. God doesn't make mistakes,

you're a mistake...

Agnes is half shouting , half crying. Martha holds on to her.

MARTHA:

Oh Agnes, oh Agnes, it's alright, it's

alright, it's alright, it's alright,

I love you.

AGNES:

Do you really love me or are you just

saying that?

MARTHA:

I really love you.

AGNES:

As much as Mother Miriam does?

MARTHA:

As much as God loves you.

55 INT - AGNES' OLD ROOM - DAY

Martha is in there by herself smoking. The elderly nun appears

at the door.

ELDERLY NUN:

I've been watching. We were fine 'till

she came. She brought the devil here.

(makes the sign

of the cross)

There was blood on her hand that night.

MARTHA:

Agnes?

(the nun shakes

her head)

Who? Mother Superior?

ELDERLY NUN:

(in French)

???

MARTHA:

What?

ELDERLY NUN:

Look into the convent records.

MARTHA:

Sister...

But the nun has gone, walking quickly away down the corridor.

56 INT - RECORD ROOM - DAY

Sister (?) enters to find Martha going through a cabinet.

MARTHA:

(slightly guiltily)

Oh, Good afternoon Sister, I... I'm

looking for some biographical data

on Sister Agnes, and Mother said I

might find it here.

The Sister smiles, goes to another cabinet, extracts a file and

hands it to

her.

MARTHA:

Thank you.

The Sister nods and without a word leaves the room. Martha

waits until she has gone, then opens the cabinet and pulls out

another file. Glancing at the door, she compares the two files.

They both have the same surname Burchetti. The the door opens and

Mother Miriam is standing there.

MARTHA:

You lied to me

MOTHER MIRIAM:

About what?

MARTHA:

(brandishing the files)

Your niece!

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I didn't tell you because I didn't

think it was important.

MARTHA:

No, it just makes you doubly

responsible doesn't it?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I never saw Agnes until she set foot

in this convent. My sister ran away

from home. We lost touch with her.

And when my husband died and I came

here, she wrote to me and asked me if

I would take care of Agnes in case

anything happened.

MARTHA:

And Agnes' father?

Mother Miriam turns out of the room. Martha goes after her.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

It could have been any one of a dozen

men from what my sister told me.

57 INT - CORRIDOR - DAY

Continuing, just outside the record room.

MOTHER MIRIAM (Cont.)

She was afraid that Agnes would

follow in her footsteps. She did

everything she could to prevent it.

MARTHA:

Like keeping her home from school?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Yes.

MARTHA:

Listening to angels?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

She drank too much. That's what killed

her.

MARTHA:

Do you know what she did to her?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I don't think I care to know.

MARTHA:

She molested her!

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Oh, dear God.

MARTHA:

There is more here than meets the eye

isn't there? Lots of dirty little secrets.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

(crying)

Oh God, if only I'd known.

MARTHA:

Why didn't you? You knew she was

keeping her home from school. You

knew she was an alcoholic.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I knew that after the fact.

MARTHA:

Why didn't you do anything to stop her?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Because I didn't know...

(she leaves)

MARTHA:

Oh, God.

DISSOLVE TO:

58 INT - POLICE STATION, LARRY'S OFFICE - DAY

Larry is interviewing a young PROSTITUTE in French. Martha

appears at the door.

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