Catholic Fundamentalist Quarterly

Christian Cinema Monitor: “Doubt”

It is common knowledge that accusations of child abuse within the Roman-Catholic have been the weapon of choice in an atheist smear campaign during the last years. So it is of little surprise that this topic even found its way into the mainstream film industry. The 2008 movie “Doubt” by John Patrick Shanley however chooses a refreshingly accurate approach.

Set in a Catholic school in the Bronx of the 1960s, “Doubt” tells the story of the falsely accused priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his struggle for justice against the paranoid principal Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). The film carefully illustrates how the vague suspicions of the fragile young nun Sister James (Amy Adams) in the hands of the vile headmistress transform into a very real threat to the popular Father Flynn, who warm-heartedly looks after the school's first black student Donald (Joseph Foster). Sister Aloysius uses this very warmheartedness against Father Flynn, who has ever been an anathema to her, because of his progressive ideas. These are very same ideas that have transformed our beloved Catholic church into the flawless, modern religion lacking any need for further bettering, that we have today.

In a touching sermon Father Flynn compares the nature of doubt with feathers, that fly from a cut-open pillow on a rooftop – you can never take them back once they have been spread. But Sister Aloysius remains unmoved and continues her campaign. In the end Father Flynn tragically has no further options but to leave the school and abandon little Donald to his isolation. It is not before the closing scene that Sister James finally realizes her manipulation and speaks up against her principal. In the end Sister Aloysius admits her wrong doings and the film ends with a well-deserved nervous breakdown.

In addition to its important statement the film features some outstanding acting by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Hoffman convincingly embodies the clever, witty and charming Father Flynn and everyone can see his honest hurt as he is cornered by the vicious Sister Aloysius. Her role on the other side is greatly acted as well: Meril Streep succeed to portray the bitter old woman, who tries to appear caring, but repeatedly fails to hide her stinging irony. Even when she cooly admits that she is “moving away from God” in her behavior and blackmails Father Flynn with her bitter lies, her face remains unmoved and stern – a brilliant personification of a character corrupted by her inner doubts.

The message of the film however is free of any doubt: We must not let the doubts and suspicions of single poisoned minds destroy the reputation of honest men and tear apart our great Catholic church. Thus I will end with quotation from the bible that tells everything we need to know about doubt:

Mark 11:23:

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

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