During my family's Christmas travels, we watched Mamma Mia!,
which stars Meryl Streep as the free-spirited but world-weary mother of
a young bride-to-be. With that singing, dancing, emotional Streep fresh
in our minds, it was jarring to observe her in Doubt, the film
version of the acclaimed play adapted and directed by playwright John
Patrick Shanley. In this unsettling movie, she portrays Sister Aloysius,
the principal of a Catholic grade school in 1964. From our first
glimpse of her, dressed in a restrictive habit recalling the Puritans
and peering severely down at unruly students through small spectacles,
she seems the perfect picture of the stereotypical oppressive elementary
school nun. The pupils in her charge fear her, straightening up and
ceasing their chatter at the sight of her. She is a force to be reckoned
with.
While Streep makes the most striking figure in the
film, equally important are Amy Adams as innocent, altruistic Sister
James, who seems to be at least a generation younger than any of the
church's other sisters, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn, an
eloquent, charismatic preacher who may or may not be guilty of
inappropriate contact with a vulnerable youngster. The boy in question
is Donald (Joseph Foster), the school's first African-American student.
He is shy and lonely, and Father Flynn appears to serve as his protector
and confidante, a stabilizing force in a tumultuous environment. But
when Sister James witnesses something that sets off alarms in her mind,
Sister Aloysius seizes upon it and becomes determined to bring down this
man who she fervently believes is a threat to her students' well-being.
Doubt is expertly written in such a way that audience
members can legitimately draw one of two opposing conclusions. Perhaps
Father Flynn is an innocent man whose hands-on approach and progressive
ideas are distasteful to the conservative Sister Aloysius. While it's
clear that she truly believes he is guilty, one wonders to what extent
that opinion is formed by her own prejudices. On the other hand, he
might be a pedophile with a history of victimizing children, making the
principal's efforts laudable. Certainly there is evidence to suggest
that this is a possibility, but the movie does not offer a definitive
answer. Ultimately, whether you walk away from the film thinking he's
guilty or innocent (or, like me, are equally torn between the two), it
says as much about your personality and opinions as it does about the
movie.
Each of the three leads does exceptional work. My
favorite of the characters, and probably the one with whom we are meant
to identify most, is wide-eyed, sweet-natured Sister James, who is torn
between wanting to believe the best of people and desiring the welfare
of her pupils. In her delicate performance, this conflict plays out
strikingly. Hoffman plays his character as likable most of the time,
having an easy rapport with students, cracking jokes and offering
comfort. But as Sister Aloysius pursues his resignation, he grows
increasingly agitated, to the point of explosive anger that could as
easily be the result of frustration at false accusations as fear that a
dark secret will be exposed. Streep's stern sister remains calm and cool
in most scenes, but when her vulnerabilities seep through her steely
demeanor, they threaten to unhinge her, particularly in her searing
final lines. Her Puritanical garb accentuates the impression that she is
on a witch hunt of sorts. Also compelling is Viola Davis as Donald's
protective mother, who shares a powerful scene with Sister Aloysius
midway through the movie.
The movie takes place at
Christmastime, so the contrast between the warmth of joyful celebration
within the church walls and the barren chill outside reflects the film's
central struggle. Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who so hauntingly
captured the bleak landscape of No Country For Old Men,
is especially effective in showcasing windblown objects such as the
once-vibrant leaves that echo the conflicted Sister James' loss of
naivety. He makes frequent use of odd camera angles, giving us many
close-ups and often tilting the camera so that the world we are watching
feels topsy-turvy. It's a disorienting but very effective technique.
Doubt
is not without its moments of levity, and the "thematic material" for
which it is rated PG-13 is never addressed in any coarse detail. There's
almost no objectionable language, and the presence of children in many
of the scenes might be enough to sustain the interest of some
youngsters. Still, this is definitely a film aimed primarily at adults,
and it seeks to explore the nature of truth and the power of accusation.
In its acknowledgment of uncertainty as an element of the human
condition which it may not be possible or even healthy to deny, it
encourages thoughtful self-examination and a possible admission that we,
in the troubled words of one character, "have such doubts."
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