Analysis of Doubt by Shanley - Movie Review Example

"Doubt" Doubt (2008), a gripping film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's stage play Doubt: A Parable, deals with the story of a priest accused of having a reprehensible relationship with a Catholic school student. Written and directed by Shanley, the film stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis and their performance was highly appreciated at the international level. Whereas the themes and casing of the film have contributed to the success of the film at the international level, Doubt has been more of a film of strong Catholic interest and the movie has a great relevance in the background of the contemporary Church experience of sexual abuse by clergy. The film is set in 1964 at St. Nicholas school, a Roman Catholic School in the Bronx, New York and most of its students are children of Italian and Irish immigrants. They would have great faith in their Church and would never question or doubt anything about mother Church. In the movie, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a young priest, delivers an important sermon on flagging faith which creates suspicions in Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). In his sermon, Father Flynn concentrated on the nature of doubt and noted that doubt, like faith, can be a unifying energy. Sister Aloysius, the strict principal of the school discusses the sermon with her fellow nuns and asks them to find the reasons behind the behaviour of Father Flynn for preaching about doubt. Following this, Sister James (Amy Adams), a young and naive teacher, grudgingly reports a private meeting between Father Flynn and the school's only black student to Sister Aloysius which creates awful suspicion in the principal. Therefore, one of the central scenes in the movie is the one in which the cheerful, fair-haired Father Flynn preaches a sermon about sharing doubts with others in the community. Father Flynn's appeal to the importance of doubt becomes relevant in the context of the Roman Catholic School in the Bronx, where most of the students are children of Italian and Irish immigrants who would have great faith in their Church and never question or doubt anything about mother Church. However, in a reflective analysis of the theme of doubt in the film, it becomes lucid that the students' trust to the church is because of their nave faith and some doubt in faith would have been preferable, as such doubt of mother Church was possible back in 1964. Through the story of a confrontation between the priest and the nun at a Catholic school in 1964 New York, the film Doubt by John Patrick Shanley establishes the importance of doubt in deepening the nave faith in Catholic Church. Father Flynn, who is the chaplain at St. Nicholas Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964, is a strong believer in the winds of change that are sweeping through the country with integration and through the Catholic Church with Pope John XXIII. Through the character of Father Flynn, the film emphasizes the positive value of doubt in the life of a believer of the Catholic Church, and the winds of change that were sweeping through the Church in 1964 suggests the possibility of a doubt of the mother Church. "He has an easy and relaxed manner with the kids; as a preacher, he enjoys shaking his congregation up. In the opening scene of the film, he speaks about the positive value of doubt in the life of a believer: 'Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.'" (Brussat and Brussat, 2009). Therefore, the character of Father Flynn makes a vital point by suggesting the positive value of doubt in the life of a believer and the winds of change that were sweeping through the Church suggested by Father Flynn allude to the possibility of a doubt of the mother Church in 1964. The students at St. Nicholas Catholic School, who are children of Italian and Irish immigrants, have great faith in their Church and would never question or doubt anything about mother Church. In fact, their trust in the Church is too nave and there is great positive value of doubt in the life of these students. A reflective analysis of the setting and the year of the events happening in the film, one realizes the positive value of doubt in the life of a believer in 1964 when doubt of mother Church was possible due to the specific circumstances in the country. Significantly, the setting of the film is St Nicholas's Church in the Bronx, a largely Irish-American parish, and the time is the autumn of 1964. The film is placed in the background of the Irish-American parish in 1964, a year after the assassination of the country's first Catholic president and shortly after the Second Vatican Council promised to drag the Catholic Church into the 20th century. This setting of the film illustrates the positive value of doubt in the life of the students at St. Nicholas Catholic School. The foundations of the Catholic Church in America were shaken by the implosion of Catholic religious orders in the 1970s. The financial viability of parish schools as well as the transmission of faith and morals to subsequent generations was affected by the happenings in the 1970s. Therefore, the historical and provincial setting of the film indicates the positive role of doubt in determining one's faith and Father Flynn represents the radical views of the changing face of the Church. John Patrick Shanley, an Irish-American from a blue-collar family in the Bronx who would have been a similar school as represented in the film, captures the period of 1970s very precisely without any touches of nostalgia. "The scene is cleverly set at the opening when cheerful, fair-haired Father Flynn preaches a sermon about sharing doubts with others in the community and facing them in one's own life, beginning with the words: 'What do you do when you are not sure' Father Flynn, a recent arrival at the church, represents the liberating spirit of Vatican II. He thinks priests should become a loving part of the larger parochial family rather than remain aloof moral exemplars." (French, 2009). Therefore, through the character of Father Flynn, the film convincingly presents the positive value of doubt in the life of a believer during the 1970s. In conclusion, the opening scene of the film Doubt by John Patrick Shanley emphasizes positive value of doubt in the life of a believer and the students at St. Nicholas Catholic School can greatly benefited by a doubt of mother Church which was possible during the 1970s. As the protagonist of the film illustrates, doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty, especially with regard to faith in the Catholic Church. The students at St. Nicholas Catholic School have great faith in their Church and would never question or doubt anything about mother Church. However, some doubt in their faith would have been preferable, as their trust in the Church is too naive. References Brussat, Frederic and Brussat, Mary Ann. (2009). "Film Review: Doubt Directed by John Patrick Shanley." Spirituality and Practice. Retrieved 10 October, 2009, from http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.phpid=18664 French, Philip. (2009). "Doubt." The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October, 2009, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/08/doubt-film-review Read More