The Third Miracle (1999)

A priest (Ed Harris) has a crisis of faith and temporarily leaves the church. But he is asked to return to investigate a possible miracle. A statue at a convent appears to cry tears of blood and he investigates the woman (Barbara Sukowa, Fassbinder's LOLA) who died seven years prior who is believed to be responsible for the tears which have the power to cure as a candidate for possible sainthood. Based on the novel by Richard Vetere (who co-wrote the screenplay) and directed by Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA EUROPA). The film spares us the sanctimonious proselytizing of "religious" films. In fact, I wouldn't call this a religious film although its probing of faith and commitment to one's belief are at the forefront of the movie's narrative. One doesn't have to be a religious person to appreciate the qualities of Holland's scrutinizing of the inner workings of what constitutes a saint. These are the most interesting aspects of the film, not the complicated attraction of Harris's priest and Anne Heche (excellent) as the dead woman's abandoned daughter. Different but in a good way. With Armin Mueller Stahl and Charles Haid.