DOUBT: A Minefield Populated by Characters from my Childhood
Written: Feb 12 '09 (Updated Feb 12 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Outstanding acting and writing, thought provoking themes, accurate depiction of an era.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: So real it's like a trip through a time machine....not that I enjoyed every minute living through it the first time :) An amazing, thought provoking movie.
|
|
|
| frazzledspice's Full Review: Doubt |
This movie grabbed me from the moment I heard the slightly offkey strains of "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" floating down from the choir loft. The young singers, dressed in dorky uniforms, wearing harlequin eyeglasses and sporting a sad zit or two, were facsimiles of my childhood friends. I, too, sang in the choir loft as a child, looking down at the principal clicking her clicker so the kids who couldn't sing would know when to stand, sit, or kneel. I could see Sister Mary Disciplinarian float silently down the aisle, gathering wind with her flowing garments, to punish the gum chewers and talkers. I could see Sister Mary Angelface smile beatifically, a disembodied face surrounded by yards of cotton. I could see Father Regular Joe give his sermon (it was called a sermon then) with the football lead in about Broadway Joe Namath.
The screenplay, sets, and cast of "Doubt" were so authentic that I became transported back to my childhood, alternately terrified of and inspired by the 'good cop-bad cop' team of Sister Aloyisius (Meryl Streep), obsessive principal and Sister James (Amy Adams), idealistic young teacher.
Sister Mary Margaret McEntee: A Set Consultant Who's Been There, Done That
Playwright John Patrick Shanley, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning play, adapted it for screen, and directed the movie, experienced the tumultuous Vatican II era as a child and used religious consultants to lend authenticity to his creative efforts. Because of this, the Church, its traditions, and all the characters are treated respectfully. Even Sister Aloyisius, who is near impossible to feel a shred of sympathy towards, earns some tears from the viewer at the end of the movie when she seems to break through her elaborate network of structure and legalism to reach towards genuine healing and genuine faith.
In Catholic school we were always taught that when we grew up we would have a "mature faith" to replace the Baltimore Catechism know-all-the-answers faith of our childhood--and at the end of doubt, I was finally able to believe that Sister Aloyisius herself would find mature faith at last.
The Plot: Suspected, Never Proven, Sexual Abuse
The Theme: Faith Can Co-exist With Doubt
In his opening homily, Father Brendan Flynn throws out the word "doubt" and the terrible loneliness that the doubter can feel. But with one's church community, one never had to doubt alone, or suffer alone. Authentic dialogue became possible, and, in sharing faith (and doubts) Catholics could develop a whole support system which would lead to a deeper faith and a stronger church.
That was the first red flag for Sister Aloyisius, who advised her sisters to "watch" Father Brendan and report any suspicious actions. Determined to build a case with enough 'smoke' to convince the authorities that a fire might exist (or to convince Father Brendan to resign to avoid a scandal) she is single-minded and oblivious to any evidence that might point to his innocence.
Donald Miller (Joseph Foster III), the suspected 'victim,' was the first black student in the Bronx Catholic elementary school. A gentle, sincere boy who thought he might have a vocation to the priesthood, he had been driven out of public school by bullies who put him in fear of his life. Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis), Donald's mother, provides the fourth Oscar-nominated performance in the powerful ensemble cast, as a mother determined to protect her son and give him the benefits she never had, left rudderless by the assault of Sister Aloyisius, uncertain where to turn.
"Doubt" Raises Questions and Is Short on Answers
What caused the clergy abuse crisis? Celibacy? Vatican II? The sexual revolution? All of it?
Would a return to the pre-Vatican II Church, led by Field Commander Sister Aloyisius in the Bronx, mean that not only the Church but the entire world would be different?
Shanley doesn't give us any answers, because there aren't any easy solutions. He leaves us with hope--hope that when God's people live authentic lives, share their hopes, fears, joys, faith, and doubts, and love one another there will be healing.
Catholic Media Outlets Give "Doubt" Measured Praise
Although they cautioned parents to keep children from seeing "Doubt," they praised the writing, the acting, the thought-provoking themes, and the accurate depiction of the transitional Vatican II era.
Catholic News Service summed it up well: "Though sexual misconduct is at the heart of the story, it is the balance between doubt which, as Shanley has said, "allows for growth and change" and premature certainty, which only leads to a "dead end" -- that forms the principal thematic subtext. His metaphorical critique is directed not at the church but at those who insist on absolutes in society at large."
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.