In the midst of a stuffy Catholic Church in 1964 Bronx, New York, Father Flynn’s words resound within the church walls. The subject of his sermon: doubt. He proclaims that doubt is a strong force, a feeling which despite its unpredictable nature it can bring people together. The ears of everyone in the church open up, while one set of ears in particular listens in to more than the sermon; Sister Aloysius is watching…As events unfold, and the force that is Sister Aloysius envelops the church and its school, a whirl wind storm brings everyone into an unspeakable scandal.
Under Miramax Films, John Patrick Shanley’s Tony award winning play is brought to the big screen with the powerfully haunting performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman, the incomparable Meryl Streep and supporting roles of Amy Adams and Viola Davis. True to its title, Doubtis a film that exposes the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the epitome of religious attitude during the 1960s. The film’s premise involves molestation accusations against a priest, an insistent nun who is certain of a priest’s wrong doing and the shroud of doubt that surrounds everyone involved.
The film opens with the discussion of doubt by Father Flynn (Hoffman) setting the tone and capturing the essence of the entire film from the beginning. Throughout the sermon, Sister Aloysius (Streep), the headmistress of the church’s school, starts to build her suspicions of the priest, not yet knowing what she is suspicious of. Later, she asks a fellow nun, young and naïve Sister James (Adams) to keep her eyes and ears open for any odd happenings that may be deemed doubtful. Soon, a series of clues: a male student asked to a room by Father Flynn, wine in the boy’s breath, and an undershirt in the boy’s locker, along with the intuition of an experienced nun bring Sister Aloysius to conclude, without a doubt in her mind, that Father Flynn is guilty of molesting the young black boy. Perhaps driving her judgment, is Sister Aloysius’ contempt and disdain for Father Flynn and his goal to ‘progress’ the church and his condemnation of the sister’s ‘prehistoric’ ways. What proceeds are manipulative acts and pleads of innocence, with the film reaching its height in a powerful struggle of words between the two heads. In the end, the audience leaves with a little piece of the movie itself; doubt.
There is no doubt in my mind that beyond the strong performances of the main actors, the film or rather the play contains symbols and metaphors that embellish the plot and the meaning of the movie. Little details such as the Father Flynn’s unusually long yet ‘clean’ nails as well as the small flowers he keeps in his bible lead audiences to delve deeper into the film and the character. The director’s usage of foreshadowing and metaphors through the numerous fallen leaves that surround Sister Aloysius to the powerful storm that happens overnight sets the tone for the following scenes. Another intriguing aspect of the film is how it captures the stark contrast between the women and men of religion at the time. There is one scene that portrays the two parties at dinner time: the men sit around laughing, drinking, smoking and eating meat with juice spewing from its insides, while the women sit in silence enjoying their humbly prepared meals with a glass of milk.
From the beginning Doubt kept me intrigued and at the edge of my seat until the very closing scene. The last scene is memorable and intense to say the least, as Sister Aloysius proclaims, “I have doubts. I have such doubts”, what she is doubtful of can doubtfully be left up to interpretation. Overall, Doubt seems to have been better left as a play rather than a movie due to its slow tempo and progression. However its film adaption does not disappoint and should be left untouched and unchanged. Due to its suggestive subject matter, all should be mentally cautioned and is not for those who are weak minded. Undoubtedly thought provoking and passionate, Doubt is a film that leaves with you even after you have left the theatre.
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