doubt

Director: john patrick shanley

Actor: meryl streep,philip seymour hoffman,amy adams,viola davis

Data Published: Thu Dec 25 2008

Genres: Drama,Mystery

Key Words: priest,student,nun,boy,catholic

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0918927/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubt_(2008_film)

Description: Doubt is a movie starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

Plot: In 1964 at a Catholic church in The Bronx, New York Father Flynn gives a sermon on the nature of doubt, noting that like faith, doubt can be a unifying force. Sister Aloysius, the strict principal of the parish school, becomes concerned when she sees a boy pull away from Father Flynn in the school courtyard. At dinner, she asks her fellow nuns if they know why Father Flynn would preach about doubt, and instructs them to be alert to a possible problem in the school. One day during class, Sister James, a young and naive teacher, receives a request for Donald Miller, an altar boy and the school's only black student, to meet Father Flynn in the rectory. When he returns, Donald is upset and Sister James notices the smell of alcohol on his breath. Later, she sees Father Flynn placing an undershirt in Donald's locker. She reports her suspicions to Sister Aloysius. Sisters Aloysius and James confront Father Flynn. Several times, he asks them to leave the matter alone as a private issue between the boy and himself, but Sister Aloysius persists. Finally, he is pressured into saying that Donald had been caught drinking altar wine and that he will now need to be dismissed as an altar boy. Sister James is relieved and believes Father Flynn's explanation, but Sister Aloysius is not convinced. Father Flynn gives a sermon on bearing false witness and gossip. Sister James asks him about the shirt he put in Donald's locker, an observation she had kept from Sister Aloysius. Father Flynn explains that the boy had left the shirt in the sacristy, and that he had put it in the locker to spare the boy additional embarrassment. Flynn goes on to say that it is he, not Sister Aloysius, that really cares about the boy. Sister Aloysius meets with Donald Miller's mother regarding her suspicions. Mrs. Miller shocks Sister Aloysius with her lack of interest in the alleged misconduct on Father Flynn's part. As far as she is concerned, Donald need only last to the end of the school year, as graduation from a prestigious church school would increase his chances of going to a decent high school. It is hinted that Donald is homosexual and that his father is physically abusive because of it. Mrs. Miller begs Sister Aloysius to leave Donald out of her campaign against Father Flynn. Father Flynn demands that Sister Aloysius stop trying to destroy his reputation. Sister Aloysius responds that he must confess and resign. Father Flynn is adamant that there is no illicit relationship, but Sister Aloysius claims that she has learned that he has a history of problems, having moved to three different parishes in the last five years. She tells him that she has contacted a nun from one of his prior churches, who corroborated her suspicions. Father Flynn is furious that she has contacted a nun rather than the church pastor, which is proper church protocol. Sister Aloysius threatens to visit his previous parishes and contact parents if necessary. Father Flynn agrees to request a transfer. Following his final sermon, Father Flynn steps down from the pulpit and shakes hands with the members of the congregation. Some time later, Sisters Aloysius and James are sitting together in the church garden. Sister Aloysius tells Sister James that despite her warning, the bishop has appointed him to pastor at a larger church with a parochial school, promoting him to a more prestigious position and perpetuating the problem. She admits to having lied about speaking to a nun at Father Flynn's former church, saying it would not have worked if he was innocent. Sister Aloysius concludes that she has paid a price in pursuing the wrongdoing of Father Flynn. She breaks down in tears and says to Sister James: "I have doubts...I have such doubts."