Some see the role of Sister Aloysius as exaggerated in Meryl Streep's stark rendition. Every Dominican nun was so kind and selfless from the eight years I spent in Catholic school. Apart from being tapped on the head by Sister Ambrosetta in the first grade, she never touched a finger again. However, I still vividly remember how terrified I was of the principal, Sister Gilberta, that second or third graders would pee their pants if they were called into her office! But the truth is, she never hurt us, she just looked like she would do it.
In this film, Sister Aloysius hates all the intrusions of modern society, even ballpoint pens are not allowed to use. This is indeed the case. As children we practiced writing with a pen, meticulously writing the three letters "JMJ" at the top of each page - to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Sister Aloysius has a little nun, James, who is pure and lovely, but her vision is limited to the stagnant scenery seen from the window of the monastery. In that autumn, the story happened.
A black kid came to the school, Donald Miller, and the priest took good care of him, encouraged him during basketball practice, and appointed him an altar attendant. This is all normal. One day, however, Sister James discovered that the priest had called Miller to the house alone. She thought it was inappropriate, and reported it to Sister Aloysius, who narrowed his eyes, like a bird of prey about to forage. The fate of Father Flynn was thus decided. But Doubt's film is not a documentary about suspected sexual abuse. The film's director and screenwriter, John Patrick Shanley, won Pulitzer and Tony Awards for the screenplay. The film's theme, as the title suggests, is about doubt in this certain world. In Sister Aloysius' mind, the priest must be guilty. Even if he looked so innocent, even if Sister James began to question her initial suspicions, it couldn't shake Sister Aloysius' confidence in her in the slightest. The priest knew very well that his career could not stand the slightest rumor. Such a three-pronged stalemate is exactly what the film's impeccable rendition and breath-taking plot show us.
Branches outside the festival. The real world broke into this closed church battlefield. Miller's mother fears her son will be expelled from school. He was accused of stealing the sacrificial wine, which, to make matters worse, was given to him by the priest. That mother's outright plea to Sister Aloysius was the best scene I've seen in '08. This scene of only ten minutes or so is the heart and soul of the film. It would be unreasonable for Viola Davis, who played the mother, not to be nominated for an Oscar. Her acting skills on par with the outstanding contemporary actress Meryl Streep Qihoo achieved extraordinary dramatic effect.
Doubt, this is the title of a sermon given by Father Flynn at the beginning of the film. Doubt crept into the American church and society as a whole in 1964. Will eating meat on Friday go to hell? Kennedy was assassinated, the Vietnam War started, and the sense of certainty in society was being disintegrated. What else is certain? How many variables will there be? What is the motive? The struggle between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn is a battle between old and new forces, between status and change, between unshakable and indeterminate. Shanley left us with doubts at the end of the film. I know there are people who think they have solved the mystery, but opinions are divided. Doubt's film has a precise script, a strong cast and an interlocking plot progression. From the very first shot, this film prompts us to think and continues to the end of the film, which is rare in a film.
Original http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081210/REVIEWS/812109991
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