i missed a 1 o¹clock for ³stir of echoes² by six minutes and , not being one to miss a second of the movie-going experience -- i¹m talking lights dimming , previews , even that thx thing with the cows ( m¹i psycho , or what ) -- i caught a 1 : 15 of this film , instead . mistake . produced with an mtv-eye , ³stigmata² is all photography direction . the story , next to impossible to concentrate on one second to the next because the film¹s visual style is so abrasive , follows atheist hairdresser frankie page ( patricia arquette ) as she becomes ³afflicted² with the titular phenomena . meaning , wounds of christ ; receive five , and you die . so , the film is more or less a countdown to her death . well . . why is this happening ? as a form of extreme punishment on a non-believer , or a method of _making_ them believe ? dunno . either way , that¹s not entertaining , it¹s depressing . we get loving shots of large nails being hammered into feet and hands , over and over again ; divine imagery , right ? if it isn¹t arquette getting slashed or impaled , it¹s blood dripping into water , water dripping into water ( frankie¹s apartment has a convenient leak ) , or rain -- everything in annoying close-up . tip : try to make everything look cool ( microwaves , candles , coffee cups , more candles . . did i mention water ) , and nothing does . as for the gore , i wonder how a movie like this one skirts the nc-17 rating . one scene , featuring an open wound on arquette¹s wrist that gushes blood so profusely for , like , five seconds , or thereabouts , made me nauseous . that , plus images of carnage scattered throughout at what seemed like two-minute intervals ; where¹s the line ? a minute¹s worth of sex in greater cinema like ³eyes wide shut² is too obscene for mass audiences , but 100 minutes of bloodshed here isn¹t ? oy . . . the hypocrisy continues . if anything , i enjoyed gabriel byrne¹s performance as the priest/scientist/whatever the hell he¹s supposed to be . he¹s got a couple reaction takes , off the possessed frankie , that felt natural . of course , then they get all doe-eyed toward one another , and flirty , and talk about how he misses sex , and drink beer : how is there time for this ? he¹s supposed to be a man of the cloth , what would she see in a -- nevermind . 
