Doubt

--PG-13-- With protest and only by request I am writing this review...I'll leave it at that.

The most controversial thing that has sprung up about this movie isn't about whether it was good or not. That fact was decided by earlier reviews and Oscar night. No, the real controversy is about whether Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) committed the unthinkable act of molestation. With all evidence being circumstantial, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is certain that the Father committed the crime and therefore must be ousted from the Parish.

The movie focuses on a sister in a patriarchal society, in a patriarchal religion standing up against her "superiors" and by any means necessary accomplishing that which she feels she must. This is the topic in which I would like to discuss. It doesn't matter whether I think he did it, or if you think he did it. What matters is if Sister Aloysius was correct with her flagrant disregard of church protocol and potentially ruining someones life without any real proof. We live in a society where everyone is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. But in a religion where reputation is perhaps more important than innocence the fact that she even hinted at accusing him of it, would scare even the most innocent of men in his position, away.

Sister Aloysius acted in a way that portrayed a "by any means necessary" attitude. This kind of attitude is dangerous; they will lie, cheat, steal and in some circumstances kill to accomplish their end goal. What makes her attitude even worse is the fact that she had no concrete evidence, she was acting on instinct and experience. Two things that can lead to doubts. For instance, in the closing moments, Sister Aloysius with all her talk about certainty and doing what is necessary confesses to Sister James (Amy Adams), "I have doubts, so many doubts!" This startling confession proves that she acted in a manner that goes against reason and against all we as a democracy believe. Without certainty, without absolute proof, Sister Aloysius did all she could, to remove a priest that she simply did not like.

Do the "ends justify the means?"



cah