In the movies at least, Catholicism exists to be challenged, but rarely are its doctrines used for anything more substantial than a jumping-off point for infantile humor (Dogma) or lurid pseudo-spiritual horror (Stigmata, The Exorcist). For all its flaws, Agnieszka Holland's The Third Miracle is heartening in its unabashed seriousness, taking on important religious issues without the safety net of irony or exploitation. As a priest who investigates reported phenomena, Ed Harris is in the contradictory position of being skeptical toward the very things that affirm his faith, and his torment reads powerfully on the actor's face. His latest assignment takes him to a poor urban church that's petitioning for the sainthood of a dead Austrian immigrant (Barbara Sukowa) who's supposedly responsible for miracles. As evidence begins to surface, his commitment to his vocation wavers, especially as he's drawn more intimately to the woman's atheist daughter, played with intensity by Anne Heche. The Third Miracle gets more convoluted when a panel, led by a regrettably hammy Armin Mueller-Stahl, arrives from Rome to review the matter, but faulty plot mechanics only partially detract from the film's emotional and intellectual power. Holland (Europa Europa, The Secret Garden), who calls herself a lapsed Catholic, has a genuine feeling for what it means to struggle with the rational and the transcendent, and she fills out the story with interesting asides on the role of the American church both here and abroad. Though the contrived and schematic script nearly unravels at times—particularly from a dreadful third-act twist—the conviction of Holland and her lead actors is a guiding force, unwavering and enduring.