Is it good to have doubt?
I can’t comment on that question with regards to faith, but in a world where everyone’s so different, it’s surely foolish and naïve, and even rather dangerous, to have too much certainty.
That’s my opinion anyway.
I found myself thinking about this considerably after watching Doubt – the Oscar-nominated film based on the play by John Patrick Shanley.
In the film, Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, the strict principal of a Bronx school in the socially-changing climate of the 1960s. When charming liberal priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) arrives at the school, Sister Aloysius shows signs of unease with his alien ways, and when a colleague informs her that the school’s sole African-American pupil behaved oddly after spending time with this newcomer, her doubts are ignited.
Controlled, tight-lipped and visibly resistant to change of any sort, Meryl Streep’s Sister Aloysius is utterly compelling to observe. Her inner struggle with her suspicions over her colleague’s moral conduct, her doubt over her own judgement, and her doubts about her faith can only be guessed at, but her battle is hinted at with entrancing unease as she attempts to go about her daily business.
Streep is amazing and her performance in this movie is totally deserving of its Oscar nomination in my opinion. But, this is only my opinion. I doubt that everyone shares it. In fact my Movie Talk colleague Jason Best had a very different view of Meryl’s performance in this film, as stated in his recent post:
“Her fussy, finicky performance, with all its insufferably mannered physical and vocal tics, is sheer camp.”
Interesting eh? Reading this made me doubt my own judgement of the film a little. Additionally, reading this made me doubt Jason Best’s judgement of the film a little, particularly after fruitlessly searching Meryl’s performance for the physical and vocal tics he so confidently describes.
But, hey, so what? There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of doubt. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – doubt is good. It’s a healthy acknowledgement that we’re all very different. And that, in my opinion, is what makes life so interesting.
Did this film make you think about the nature of doubt? If so, please share.
Doubt is available on demand from today on Sky Box Office and FilmFlex
Sorry, Couch Potato, your self-questioning hasn’t made me doubt my verdict on Doubt. http://whatsontv.co.uk/blogs/movietalk/2009/02/06/the-best-view-doubt/
I still find John Patrick Shanley’s direction flawed and I’m still not won over by Meryl Streep’s performance. That’s the problem, actually. It’s too much of a performance when seen alongside the acting of her co-stars. Streep’s dial goes up to 11; her fellow actors are much more restrained. If she’d been acting opposite Joan Crawford in her Grand Guignol phase, it wouldn’t have mattered; opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, she looks very mannered.
But if you do love Streep at her most mannered, a real treat is in store – she’s in full flight in the role of larger-than-life celebrity chef Julia Child (imagine a 6’ 2” American Fanny Craddock) in the forthcoming movie Julie & Julia. It’s a very different kind of movie and a very different role, and Streep is perfect .
http://www.julieandjulia.com/