Palpable greatness
Written: Jan 20 '09 (Updated Jan 20 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: writing; whole of the cast, which lines up the acting clinics
Cons: None that I can think of.
The Bottom Line: I'm close to saying that I needn't see the other Best Picture nominees to crown this one. But I won't. Just see it.
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| wrestler's Full Review: Doubt |
If you are thinking of seeing Doubt before it leaves theaters (which I figure might be soon), by all means do. But beware. This film will haunt you. Doubt's power is incredible and its relevence, undeniable. It plays on so many levels, some human, some social and even some political. To call the depth of this film rare would be a definite understatement.
Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley and based on his Tony-winning play, Doubt takes place at St. Nicholas school in the Bronx, a catholic grade school run with an iron hand by the incredibly severe Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). Aloysius wages a war against the Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the new parish priest. This war is never declared but it needn't be. Aloysius despises all features of modernity. Among these features are the reforms of Vatican II, the increased openness between teacher and students, ballpoint pens and the song Frosty The Snowman. It's difficult to discern whether sister Aloysius' hatred of Father Flynn is due to the fact that he stands for all these things or simply because she fears he might undermine her power. The answer to such a question is usually that it's a little bit of both.
In any case, enter Sister James (Amy Adams), an innocent young history teacher who probably knew she wanted to be a nun at the age of five. Her life experience seems rather non-existent outside of American History, the convent and the word of God. She loves Father Flynn, and what he does for the kids. We get to witness his good deeds. He coaches young men at Basketball and instructs them on the vital importance of cleaning one's nails.
Father Flynn has a special relationship with the school's only black student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster II). His familial situation is difficult and he doesn't have a single friend at school. Father Flynn vows to take care of the boy. He encourages him in sports and makes him an altar boy. However, when he interrupts Sister James' class requesting to speak to Donald alone, she gets suspicious and tells Aloysius, her superior, about it. Aloysius closes in on this opportunity like a paparazzo on Lindsay and Samantha's first public kiss. Father Flynn doesn't stand a chance.
As Sister Aloysius attempts to discredit Flynn, she allows us our first look outside of the film's parochial universe when she summons Donald's mother (Viola Davis) to inform him of her concerns. The scene that ensues is one of the film's many acting clinics. The best one (although it's almost unfair to choose one) has to be the three-way scrum between Streep, Hoffman and Adams. Streep and Hoffman are the opponents and Adams is the referee caught in the middle of the action. No one raises their voice, but the tension in the room is palpable even when we stand on the other side of the screen.
To define doubt as a film about possible sexual abuse is simplistic. The film is all about its title, doubt, in the universe of certainty that is Catholicism. It is about the doubter who does not want to admit that doubt might exist, let alone have validity. Sister Aloysius is so convinced of Father Flynn's guilt mostly because she wants to be. The fact that there is not a shred of evidence against Father Flynn and that Sister James comes to think that she was mistaken in thinking he might have done wrong is irrelevant. What angers her about Flynn? Is it that he is not pathologically strict with students? Is it his beliefs with regards to the new direction of the Catholic Church? These are all questions that cause her immense pain when such introspection is forced upon her.
Doubt is also the topic of Father Flynn's sermon at the beginning of the movie. It engulfed the United States at the time Kennedy's death in 1963, which Father Flynn talks about during his speech (the film takes place in 1964). Kennedy's death was a pillar of doubt in the U.S. because it showed that all conceivable deception is possible.
I also firmly believe that the play on which the film is based cares deeply for religion. It shows Catholicism at a crossroads and having to react to the social changes of the time. The battle between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn is one between the refusal to change and the belief that change is necessary. Sister Aloysius believes the customs of the Church are sacred and must not be compromised. Father Flynn argues that the Church must evolve or face extinction. Never are the beliefs of Catholicism itself contested. However, the film and the play are determined to show the best and the worst about Catholicism. It shows the reasons why it's still pertinent while reminding us that those who criticize its institutions have a point.
But in the end, all comes back to doubt. Many critics seem to think the ending is ambiguous. I disagree. Besides, whether it is or not is barely relevant. By the time we get to the end, we are fascinated by the duality of the Aloysius-Flynn conflict. And this conflict, with its multiple topics and specifics, is about one's relationship with his/her doubts. One side sees doubt as an unacceptable showing of weakness. The other tells us that doubt is like life, it's what you make it. In other words, doubt is life. And that, through all the layers and the levels of this wonderful film, is what it all comes down to. Some will say the ending is ambiguous. Some will say the film feels a bit too much like a play. Be that as it may, conceiving Doubt was visibly an intellectual exercise; watching it certainly is. It has memorable performances and was written with surgical precision. As you watch it, think of how unlikely you are to find all these things in a movie these days. During the film, I found myself thinking that it's because of movies like this that cinema is important. I have little doubt that it will make you feel the same way.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
wrestler
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Member: Alexandre Turp
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Reviews written: 162
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
Evolution is all that matters.
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