Doubt

Doubt

By Jonathan Fisher, January 18th, 2009



It is a notion that was explored countless times by Alfred Hitchcock in his long career: an innocent person being accused of a terrible crime. It is terrifying because there are certain situations in which doubt doesn't necessarily overtake righteousness, and the fear is to have the burden of evidence to be placed on your innocence, rather than the committing of a crime. John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, an adaptation of his own stage play, is brilliantly ambiguous. The true point of the film is not knowing what really happened in that pastor's office, but understanding where each character is coming from, and what their motives (potentially) could be.

It is 1964, and following a sermon by Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) about the bonding potential of uncertainty and doubt in the wake of JFK's assassination (a sermon that proves that Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be a formidable orator if he ever considered a move into politics), we are thrust into the world of St. Nicholas Catholic School in the Bronx. Its principal is the straight-laced, conservative nun Sister Aloysius (Merryl Streep). She slithers like a snake around the children at mass, commanding them to sit up straight and pay attention. They snap to attention. I had teachers like this during my time at an extraordinarily old-fashioned private school in Zimbabwe in the late 1990s -- this is not a caricature. Sister Aloysius is suspicious of modern advances (such as ballpoint pens) and wages a personal vendetta against Father Flynn, who appears to be a likable and compassionate man who believes in progression and making the Church more inclusive. She gives him a dagger look when he suggests that the children sing "Frosty the Snowman" at the upcoming Christmas pageant.

Amy Adams plays Sister James, one of Sister Aloysius' right hand women. Young, bright-eyed and seemingly naive, Sister James has been ordered by Aloysius to keep an eye on Father Flynn and to let her know if anything 'suspicious' transpires. One day Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), the school's first and only African-American student, is called to the rectory by Flynn. He returns apparently upset and with the smell of alcohol on his breath. James tells Aloysius who seizes upon this development. "So," she snarls passively, "It's finally happened."

An unspoken battle of authority, gender inequity and righteousness begins between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn. Doubt is merciless in its exploration of situations, like this one, in which doubt and certainty collide head-on. Aloysius is convinced of Flynn's guilt, despite all of the evidence against her hypothesis. What exactly are her reasons? If she is correct, does her bias against Flynn really matter? As Father Flynn is shown to us, we the audience like him. He tells Aloysius that he has paid more attention to Donald because of his unique situation as an African-American student. There is something else that Donald and Flynn may have in common that I shall not reveal here. A note to those who are going to see the film -- keep an eye on the behaviour of William London (Mike Roukis). He is a minor character, but I believe that his behaviour, and his reaction to Father Flynn's fate, is potentially crucial to the overall impact of the film.

With a cast as steeped in talent as this one, it is no surprise that the acting is first-class. Each major role is Oscar-worthy, and so is a minor role in Viola Davis' portrayal of Donald's mother. She has just two scenes, but brings us into her character so forcefully and painfully that hers might be the most convincing character on show. Davis deserves a Best Supporting Actress nod for her work here, and if she does win, it will be (to my memory) the shortest appearance by an Oscar-winner since Judi Dench won for her eight minutes in Shakespeare in Love.

The ending of Doubt hits the nail on the head, even if Merryl Streep's final lines feel a little... I don't know, forced? It doesn't quite flow as easily as the rest of the film. But I left the cinema still not quite knowing what went on in the rectory, why exactly Father Flynn left his previous parishes, or if Aloysius' certainty was misplaced. There are several explanations that could explain everything -- all are possible, even probable. I suppose we will never know, but Doubt doesn't want to stop us from wondering.