Tonight, Freckles, SB and i went to see Doubt with Meryl Streep. I must say, i wasn't looking forward to seeing a depressing movie about nuns and pedophiles. But it was really good!
Essentially, it was about a nun (Streep) suspecting the Father at her strictly Catholic school was sexually absuing a young black boy at her school. It all started with a sermon on doubt, and the nun's unshakeable conviction that things just weren't right. The Father spent time alone with the boy and another teacher noticed some strange behaviour and reported it to the nun. The story centred around the nun looking for proof, and confronting the Father. Eventually, through some clever, if un-Christian, manipulation, the nun got what she considered a confession from the Father - and he moved to another parish.
There were a number of ethical issues delicately raised, and often not expressley stated. There was the 'nature' of the black boy, which seemed to indicate that he was gay. There was the 'love' that the Father had for the boy, which i interpreted to have been more physical than it should have been, though that wasn't ever said either. Then, there was the fact that the nuns were more or less ignored, as the men higher up in the church overlooked each others indiscretions. The Father was simply moved to yet another parish, where it was implied he would continue his behaviour.
i felt that personally having spent a lot of time in a Christian environment, i saw things in the movie a little differently than the others. It seemed a fairly accurate portrayal of the past of the church, and explained a lot about why things are the way they are today. Furthermore, it raised the all important issue of 'doubt'. How everyone, even the nun who was certain in her convictions, doubts sometimes. This universal doubt is a bond amoung humanity that ties everyone together - nobody is ever truly alone.
The movie never truly resolved whether or not the Father was guilty. Afterwards, Freckles and i turned to each other and said 'he was totally guilty', based on his denial and then his caving when he thought the nun had proof. He was spending suspicious time alone with the boy, he had weak excuses, he was odd. An innocent man wouldn't have let that happen. We were suprised when SB was equally adamant that he was innocent. The nun never got a concrete confession after all.
Perhaps Freckles and i are far too quick to judge? Maybe we were wrong. Maybe SB was the only one to listen to the 'innocent until proven guilty' rule. I just got the feeling that he was in the wrong! Like the nun, it was just a conviction, not proof. Does that make Freckles and i judgemental and harsh? Or does it make SB naive and innocent?
It was a movie that really got us thinking - a true feat considering we've hardly used our minds since last november. I would definately reccomend going to see it, especially if you've got a background in the church; i think that definately gave me a different perspective on the issues raised. I liked the historical aspect of the movie, that changed it completely from a modern day interpretation, that would have been much more about taking the child's word against that of the Father. The movie talked about sin, about trust, about doubt in God and about how taking steps in righting a wrong means you're stepping away from God, but in his service. It definately gave me a lot to think about.
Essentially, it was about a nun (Streep) suspecting the Father at her strictly Catholic school was sexually absuing a young black boy at her school. It all started with a sermon on doubt, and the nun's unshakeable conviction that things just weren't right. The Father spent time alone with the boy and another teacher noticed some strange behaviour and reported it to the nun. The story centred around the nun looking for proof, and confronting the Father. Eventually, through some clever, if un-Christian, manipulation, the nun got what she considered a confession from the Father - and he moved to another parish.
There were a number of ethical issues delicately raised, and often not expressley stated. There was the 'nature' of the black boy, which seemed to indicate that he was gay. There was the 'love' that the Father had for the boy, which i interpreted to have been more physical than it should have been, though that wasn't ever said either. Then, there was the fact that the nuns were more or less ignored, as the men higher up in the church overlooked each others indiscretions. The Father was simply moved to yet another parish, where it was implied he would continue his behaviour.
i felt that personally having spent a lot of time in a Christian environment, i saw things in the movie a little differently than the others. It seemed a fairly accurate portrayal of the past of the church, and explained a lot about why things are the way they are today. Furthermore, it raised the all important issue of 'doubt'. How everyone, even the nun who was certain in her convictions, doubts sometimes. This universal doubt is a bond amoung humanity that ties everyone together - nobody is ever truly alone.
The movie never truly resolved whether or not the Father was guilty. Afterwards, Freckles and i turned to each other and said 'he was totally guilty', based on his denial and then his caving when he thought the nun had proof. He was spending suspicious time alone with the boy, he had weak excuses, he was odd. An innocent man wouldn't have let that happen. We were suprised when SB was equally adamant that he was innocent. The nun never got a concrete confession after all.
Perhaps Freckles and i are far too quick to judge? Maybe we were wrong. Maybe SB was the only one to listen to the 'innocent until proven guilty' rule. I just got the feeling that he was in the wrong! Like the nun, it was just a conviction, not proof. Does that make Freckles and i judgemental and harsh? Or does it make SB naive and innocent?
It was a movie that really got us thinking - a true feat considering we've hardly used our minds since last november. I would definately reccomend going to see it, especially if you've got a background in the church; i think that definately gave me a different perspective on the issues raised. I liked the historical aspect of the movie, that changed it completely from a modern day interpretation, that would have been much more about taking the child's word against that of the Father. The movie talked about sin, about trust, about doubt in God and about how taking steps in righting a wrong means you're stepping away from God, but in his service. It definately gave me a lot to think about.
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