Doubt

[nilesgirl]

I didn't see a thread for this so I thought I'd start one. I just finished watching this movie for the 2nd time and would love to get some opinions from other people who've watched it. Doubt is about a nun (played by Meryl Streep) who begins to suspect that the priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) at their church/school may be a pediphile. Amy Adams is also in the film as a teacher at the school. One of her students is the suspected victim of the priests "extracurricular activities".
While I don't really like Streep that much, she was excellent in this movie. Here's what I want other opinions about. Did he or didn't he? Here's my thoughts: I believe he did. If he hadn't,

I only spoiled in case there are some who haven't seen it yet. Also, am I the only one who was kind of

[norealityhere]

Sorry, I don't know how to read a spoiler. However, I would say - No he did not. Just shows you how far rumors / innuendo can go.
Meryl was absolutely terrific in the role. She so nailed the nun teacher, it's amazing.

[nilesgirl]

Sorry, I don't know how to read a spoiler. However, I would say - No he did not. Just shows you how far rumors / innuendo can go.
Meryl was absolutely terrific in the role. She so nailed the nun teacher, it's amazing.

To read a spoiler, simply hold your left mouse button down and drag across the white which will then highlight the spoiled text.

[norealityhere]

To read a spoiler, simply hold your left mouse button down and drag across the white which will then highlight the spoiled text.

THanks.
I still feel the same, though. See my above post.
And, as far as the boy's mother, keep in mind when this story was set - almost 50 yrs. ago - and you'll understand why the mother says / does what she did. The world was a lot different back then.

[nilesgirl]

I know. But I still felt like...aaaaargh.
It just kind of made me mad.

[ClosetRTWatcher]

My thoughts (and I cannot remember the characters names at the moment)...

The priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) - I think he did it. As was noted above, I do not think he would have been run off by her statement about the accusations at his last parish if they had not been true. Even if he was not guilty this time, this implied that he was guilty of some similar indiscretion in the past which means that he was a predator and the kids in this school were at risk even if nothing happened with that particular boy. Furthermore, I thought the scene where he visited the Sister in her office was masterfully done. The way he just walked in and sat behind her desk and then all of the interaction that followed told the viewer SO much about their relationship without actually saying a work. He was completely pompous about his position above her in the pecking order and every move he made was an attempt to enforce his dominant role.

The nun (Meryl Streep) - I think the moral lesson about rumors and the harm they can do lies with this character. We started out seeing a very harsh view of her, but as the movie goes on we can see that she truly cares about her role in this school and she is just trying to make the right decision. She is working in a culture where she is continuously placed below the men in The Church, and she feels that if she wants to be taken seriously she has to put up this tough and absolutely resolute facade. I don't think this was the first time she had dealt with a situation like this. However, at the end we see just how torn she is between protecting the children under her care and ruining the reputation of a man who may have done nothing wrong.

The mother - I found this part very frustrating also, however I do agree that this was a factor of the times. The mother clearly thought her son was gay and for her the choice was between (1) keeping her son in this school so that he would at least have a chance at a better life or (2) her son getting pulled out of this school and dealing with his father's wrath. It sounded like this mother was convinced that the father could seriously harm or kill the boy so she didn't feel like she had another choice.

[captain]

This type of parent still exists today, will look over anything to get his/her child ahead in life. I am sure everyone can think of an incident this has happened in.

[norealityhere]

I know. But I still felt like...aaaaargh.
It just kind of made me mad.

Understood.
However, people back then didn't have much of a choice when it came to issues like that. That's what was so great about the movie; it was so real. And if you went to Cath. school, or had friends who did, Meryl's character was the most dead on ever.

[chrisg]

And if you went to Cath. school, or had friends who did, Meryl's character was the most dead on ever.

I'm so glad I have someone to talk to about this! My boyfriend is a WASP and doesn't get why I keep going on about Meryl Streep's performance in the movie. It's like she literally morphed into a nun.

As for the question of guilt, I've seen Shanley talk about this and got the impression he purposefully didn't make up his own mind as a playwright one way or another about the Priest's guilt or innocence.