"It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue." That's what Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) says to Sister James (Amy Adams) in attempting to explain her superior's behavior by accusing him of molesting an altar boy. At this point the confrontation between Flynn and Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) hasn't taken place yet, but you know it will. The principal is guided by one stunning admission that inspires her motivation to expose Father Flynn - "I'll bring him down".
Some of my best and favorite movies have a certain ambiguity about them. There's the scene at the end of "Angels With Dirty Faces" when Father Jerry challenges Rocky Sullivan to show cowardice when he faces execution for his life of crime. So does Rocky go to the chair a hero or a yellow rat? As the viewer you have to decide.
Just as you have to decide here whether Father Flynn was a pedophile or a victim of circumstantial elements that cast doubt on his character. I have to admit, this one is a baffler, although the way the script carries the story forward, it just may be that Flynn was guilty. However the film offers a complex dynamic to the proceedings with the introduction of Mrs. Miller (Vioa Davis), who reveals a seriously more disturbing picture of her son's home life than one would expect. By attempting to balance her son's well being against an accusation that may or may not be real, we see how conflicted and torturous it can be to learn the truth.
What comes across most strongly, as well it should, is the idea that once a reputation is damaged, there's no going back. Father Flynn's analogy of the pillow and the feathers was a brilliant way to demonstrate how lives can be affected by repeating an assertion that cannot be demonstrably proved, but is accepted and repeated, often to the detriment of the parties on both sides of an accusation. The film's ending bears this out, lending further resonance to the movie's title, because we now understand that doubt has been cast in both directions. That was an effective way to end the story, even if it leaves most viewers with more questions than answers.
Some of my best and favorite movies have a certain ambiguity about them. There's the scene at the end of "Angels With Dirty Faces" when Father Jerry challenges Rocky Sullivan to show cowardice when he faces execution for his life of crime. So does Rocky go to the chair a hero or a yellow rat? As the viewer you have to decide.
Just as you have to decide here whether Father Flynn was a pedophile or a victim of circumstantial elements that cast doubt on his character. I have to admit, this one is a baffler, although the way the script carries the story forward, it just may be that Flynn was guilty. However the film offers a complex dynamic to the proceedings with the introduction of Mrs. Miller (Vioa Davis), who reveals a seriously more disturbing picture of her son's home life than one would expect. By attempting to balance her son's well being against an accusation that may or may not be real, we see how conflicted and torturous it can be to learn the truth.
What comes across most strongly, as well it should, is the idea that once a reputation is damaged, there's no going back. Father Flynn's analogy of the pillow and the feathers was a brilliant way to demonstrate how lives can be affected by repeating an assertion that cannot be demonstrably proved, but is accepted and repeated, often to the detriment of the parties on both sides of an accusation. The film's ending bears this out, lending further resonance to the movie's title, because we now understand that doubt has been cast in both directions. That was an effective way to end the story, even if it leaves most viewers with more questions than answers.