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Wedding Day
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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Movie Review: Doubt

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It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence. Written by Miramax Films

My Review: Okay I am just your average gal, but the first thing I wondered was "What is the deal with the nun bonnets?" I know...silly, because there is so much more to this movie, but I think that is one of my faults when watching a film at home. I get too comfortable and start to let my brain float on its own weirdo tangents. It is my very own Butterfly Effect. But seriously, I went to Catholic school and the nuns wore those horrid scarfy things. No one wore little black bonnets. I also realized why my mind went off. My mind wandered because I went to Catholic school and my natural reaction is to do something that is going to get me in trouble. Oh the tales I could tell you! If there was a kid who was going to get caught passing a note, making a face, or giggling, it was me. So naturally I have grown up to be the woman who cannot pay attention properly to the movie.

No actually I did. My mind works that way too. I take in a lot of things while my mind just buzzes on in an attempt to distract myself from the more serious matters at hand. Somehow there is always that one part of my mind that will say "Shut up and pay attention." I got over the habit thing and realized that this movie was totally hitting the mark for me. The strict tone of Sister Aloysius was so on point it was scary! I knew several sisters like her who simply would not mess with our fussing. We also had a totally loveable priest who reminded me of Father Flynn. I am afraid none of our nuns were sweet, innocent and darling like Sister James, but it didn't make her character any less believeable.

Amazing acting is pretty much a given when you put Meryl Streep into a role, and Phillp Seymore Hoffman really is outstanding as well. You kind of expect that this has to be good, but really it is beyond good. You are given a good idea of what has possibly gone on but you do not know the truth. I have to say that Sister Aloysius is so hard and abrasive you want her to be proven wrong, but I also wondered what I would do if I believed what she believed?

This movie creates a lot of questions and doesn't give you a lot of answers. It does make you think and it makes you sad. The story is well done. The acting is superb. The setting is spot on.

My husband and I both thought it was a great film.

1 comment:

Toni said...

I just saw it also. It was well done!