"Doubt" Movie Review and Interaction
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"Doubt" Movie Available on Amazon
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5 Stars
This is a very difficult movie to review. I was raised Catholic and I was very sad to learn about the scandals of sexual abuse in the 1960's through the 1970's. One thing that I will say is that Meryl Streep plays an awesome roll as the Principal of the Catholic school. Since I spent most of my childhood in the 1980's in Catholic school, I can tell you that her character was very accurate.
When I went to school, the nuns used to hit us with a ruler, make us wear a "Dunce" hat and sit in the corner, and many other forms of corporal punishment whenever we misbehaved. Although they were rough, I don't really feel violated or "abused". In fact, I think that I have gained a certain respect towards others, due to my upbringing.
Now, back to the controversial movie. It’s 1964, St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the Bronx, NY. Basically, there is a priest, Father Flynn (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) who is the headmaster of the school and is the Pastor of the church. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep) is the principal of the school and she begins to see changes in the boys at the school. She watches their interactions with Fr. Flynn and begins to suspect that something is wrong.
Sister Aloysius is approached by another nun, Sister James (Amy Adams) that she suspects that something is wrong when her student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster) returns to class with alcohol on his breath. I will also add that Donald is the first (and only) African American student in the school. Sister Aloysius begins to monitor the interaction between Donald Miller and some of the other students.
Convinced that something is going on, the two Sisters approach Father Flynn and try to get him to confess that he is having relations with Donald. Father Flynn denies any wrongdoing and due to her naivety, Sister James believes him. Sister Aloysius, however, is not so naive.
After monitoring Father Flynn for a while, Sister Aloysius meets with the priest and gives him an ultimatum. Although he doesn't admit to anything, he does request a change of churches. Unfortunately, this is how the church dealt with such scandals; they hide the truth and send the offending priests to other parishes.
Now when I was a kid I was an alter boy and I spent a lot of times with the priests in my church. Luckily I was not among the many victims of the horrible crime. I both pray for and feel for all those who were affected by this dark age within the Catholic Church.
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CommentsLoading...
Wow! I can't believe that I never noticed that you commented 20 months ago...that's when I started on HubPages! Not sure how I missed it, but thanks for the comment (a little late!)
I went to Catholic Schools in New England for more than half my life. I even graduated from a Catholic High School.
I never had any bad experiences in this way, but I know it has happened to many people, both males and females of all ages, and we can only pray that it stops.
It's been 20 months-I hope that you get this message and thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
(So Long Ago!!!)
JSMatthew
I enjoyed your review of the film. I was hesitant to watch it at first because the sex scandals are a very painful subject, but I think "Doubt" handled the issue with sensitivity. Also, it divides viewers because it leaves the priest's guilt or innocence ambiguous (hence the doubt). Nice review.
Hello again Painted Seahorse! I think they did a good job too of maintaining sensitivity to viewers while filming this. The ending was quite interesting because you just don't know the truth. This was a good one! Thanks for stopping by!
JSMatthew~
Thanks for SHARING! :-) I love movies and am always looking for which ones to watch (or not watch) next. I know this Hub is not a recent one, but since I get many of my movies from the library, I've read this just in time.
Hello Seek-n-Find! I appreciate you finding this ancient Hub and breathing some life into it! I rarely give 5 stars in my reviews but this movie definitely earned it. Getting movies from the library is a great idea. I used to do that at the college library and the movies were free! Take that, Netflix! I hope you can get this title and enjoy it as much as I did. Be sure to come back and tell me what you think after you watch it! Thanks for stopping by!
JSMatthew~
It's on my list of "to rent for for free" movies. :-) I'll be sure to let you know what I think.
Mathews, I believe that this movie was not so much successful, because first time I am hearing the title of the movie. But you have presented nice review. Socially shared:)
Hello Madurai! To be honest, I don't know how well this one did at the box office but I enjoyed watching this myself. It is a controversial movie and maybe a lot of people didn't want to watch it. Thanks for your comment and for SHARING!
JSMatthew~
christine almaraz 2 years ago
I actually enjoyed it. It's that deep kind of movie that leaves you with your own conclusions about the ending. Great review. I once saw a documentary about nuns called "The Women in Black." I thought the title was very fitting. My husband went to a private catholic elementry, middle school and high school. He didn't have a bad experience but he knew of kids that did. I like you pray that those dark days are behind us.