Documented for posterity
I avariciously appreciate all things that leave me no choice but to go exploring deep within myself. Topics that demand reexamination and question my moral standing are especially invigorating.
Unfortunately, this does not happen often and when it does, it has almost always been courtesy of a book. Very rare have been the times when I’ve stumbled upon a movie that achieves such a feat. I stumbled on one yesterday.
Actually, I knew about it since it was being shown in theaters. As is usual for me however, no attention was given to it other than a cursory glance. 2 or 3 days ago, not sure which, I happened to see a gushing advertisement about it going to DVD. For whatever reason, the promotional scene really got to me and later that night, or the next, I had ManMountain find it for me and promptly forgot about it.
Then yesterday, In looking for something to keep my faculties alert, I recalled that it was waiting to be watched. I sat my lovely self in front of our awesome entertainment center and was lost to the physical world within minutes.
Set in an urban Catholic school circa 1964, "Doubt" unfolds in a rapidly changing America that many aren't yet ready to embrace. The Kennedy assassination is still fresh in everyone's minds, and the civil rights movement has resulted in the enrollment of the first black student in the Italian-Irish parish school. The parish priest, a forward-thinking and open-minded (relative) newcomer, is destined to clash with the school's principal, an old-school, fire-breathing dragon of a nun. When a question of priestly impropriety with the black student arises, all hell breaks loose, as Sister Aloysius jumps at the opportunity to rid her world of a man whom she clearly considers unworthy of wearing the robes of the priesthood. Whether her certainty of the priest's guilt is a manifestation of her dislike for the man, or a show of genuine concern for the welfare of the young student, becomes a point of contention between Sister Aloysius and the younger, sweet-natured Sister James who, naively, started the ball rolling in the first place. As Sister Aloysius relentlessly presses on with her unofficial (and unsanctioned) witch hunt, the filmmakers play on the audience's doubts, not only about the nun's motivations, but whether or not the priest actually engaged in an improper relationship with the boy.
The acting was exquisite, the scenery deliciously appropriate, the symbolism hard to rival and the thought-provoker enticing. This play-turned-film challenges moral certainties and I’m just sorry that I didn’t watch it sooner.
Unfortunately, this does not happen often and when it does, it has almost always been courtesy of a book. Very rare have been the times when I’ve stumbled upon a movie that achieves such a feat. I stumbled on one yesterday.
Actually, I knew about it since it was being shown in theaters. As is usual for me however, no attention was given to it other than a cursory glance. 2 or 3 days ago, not sure which, I happened to see a gushing advertisement about it going to DVD. For whatever reason, the promotional scene really got to me and later that night, or the next, I had ManMountain find it for me and promptly forgot about it.
Then yesterday, In looking for something to keep my faculties alert, I recalled that it was waiting to be watched. I sat my lovely self in front of our awesome entertainment center and was lost to the physical world within minutes.
Set in an urban Catholic school circa 1964, "Doubt" unfolds in a rapidly changing America that many aren't yet ready to embrace. The Kennedy assassination is still fresh in everyone's minds, and the civil rights movement has resulted in the enrollment of the first black student in the Italian-Irish parish school. The parish priest, a forward-thinking and open-minded (relative) newcomer, is destined to clash with the school's principal, an old-school, fire-breathing dragon of a nun. When a question of priestly impropriety with the black student arises, all hell breaks loose, as Sister Aloysius jumps at the opportunity to rid her world of a man whom she clearly considers unworthy of wearing the robes of the priesthood. Whether her certainty of the priest's guilt is a manifestation of her dislike for the man, or a show of genuine concern for the welfare of the young student, becomes a point of contention between Sister Aloysius and the younger, sweet-natured Sister James who, naively, started the ball rolling in the first place. As Sister Aloysius relentlessly presses on with her unofficial (and unsanctioned) witch hunt, the filmmakers play on the audience's doubts, not only about the nun's motivations, but whether or not the priest actually engaged in an improper relationship with the boy.
The acting was exquisite, the scenery deliciously appropriate, the symbolism hard to rival and the thought-provoker enticing. This play-turned-film challenges moral certainties and I’m just sorry that I didn’t watch it sooner.