Posted by: Avalon Library | April 19, 2009
Poll–Doubt–Is Father Flynn Innocent or Guilty or are you not sure?
Posted in Polls, general interest, movies | Tags: Doubt, Father Flynn, guilt, innocence, Poll
Posted in Polls, general interest, movies | Tags: Doubt, Father Flynn, guilt, innocence, Poll
What a great idea! I am curious to see how the poll ends.
What I loved about this movie was the fact that while the question of guilt is interesting ex post facto, it was immaterial to the narrative… what mattered to the story was Sr. Aloysius’ certainty. It shows how devastating the consequences can be when people in authority act with such disregard for the ultimate truth.
That’s not to say I found Meryl Streep’s character to be unsympathetic — it must have been frustrating for the sisters to have been subject to authority of the parish priests with no outside recourse, or even just to have been subject to such divergent strictures than the priests, as illustrated in the wonderfully juxtaposed convent vs. rectory dinner table scenes. At the same time, I wonder whether Sr. Aloysius was driven by a thirst for power? Or recognition as an authority within the Church? I’m still thinking about that!
By: Mary Beth on April 21, 2009
at 1:30 pm
Good point and I hadn’t thought about the fact that guilt or innocence really wasn’t material to the central narrative. You are right–and that is why we don’t really need to know at the end what the “truth” is. There are so many other issues here. The interesting thing is that the writer/director for both the play and the movie told the Father Flynn actor what he is, innocent or guilty. Or maybe he told them that it didn’t matter. I want to know what he told Philip Seymour Hoffman!!!
Sister Aloysius had issues. She was an authority within the school and definitely to the students, but not to the men in authority. I think she wanted her existing authority acknowledged. What order were they, btw? Those habits were crazy (as I understand pre-Vatican II ones were sometimes)
By: avalonlibrary on April 22, 2009
at 9:57 pm
I am shocked so many suspect his innocent. I have no doubt he was guilty, so many parts of the movie support it!!!
By: Allison on October 8, 2009
at 12:12 am