Agnes and Sebastian – a Celluloid Drama
They could not be further apart in their respective worlds – worlds separated by time, place and action. I have concluded that the dramatic unities shall find themselves divided and conquered unless the author succeeds in tying together the widely divergent comparisons and contrasts of the lives of a pair of unforgettable people.
I speak of two acquaintances: Agnes and Sebastian. Wishing not to suspend too much of the readers’ disbelief, I must, nevertheless, acknowledge that the drama about to unfold may seem extraordinary, incredible and – let’s be frank, all right? – patently ridiculous (but only in some of the particulars).
Agnes is a beautiful and winning novice in a Montreal, Quebec nunnery, whose brides of Christ are the little sisters of Mary Magdalene. She is artless in the superlative sense. And her voice: lilting and childlike, yet, when spontaneously given to hosannas, it is that of an angel. Agnes is an innocent of God; indeed, she is AGNES OF GOD. Simplicity, brevity, piety …
Agnes is pregnant.
Sebastian, Sebastian … where does one begin? New Orleans, 1937 – The Garden District. That only describes time and place (and barely so), but it is a beginning. We never spy Sebastian at home and jungle. In fact, when he finally does make his entrance, we do not see his face. We never do. Yet no one need declare outspokenly that it is the visage of Adonis. It is this beautiful face that has dared to view another countenance: Sebastian has beheld the Face of God. And lived. Onlookers - men, women, children and even dogs - are mesmerized by this elegant man, only to fall in love with him, him with such charm, such charisma. Of the four categories of mammalian subsets referred to, only one group is allowed to cross the invisible line and participate. Sebastian – the gentle and soft-spoken arachnid – knows the truth about God. The truth may make no difference, however, as Sebastian approaches the crossroads of his life. It begins, it ends: SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER.
Sebastian is a cannibal.