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Genre | Mystery & Thrillers |
Format | AC-3, Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen |
Contributor | Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, John Patrick Shanley |
Language | English, French |
Runtime | 1 hour and 44 minutes |
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Product Description
Product Description
From Miramax Films comes one of the most honored and acclaimed motion pictures of the year, Doubt. Based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt is a mesmerizing, suspense-filled drama with four riveting performances from Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt.
"One of the best pictures of the year," (USA Today, Rolling Stone, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, Roger Ebert).
Bonus Features include From Stage To Screen, Scoring Doubt, The Sisters Of Charity
Amazon.com
It's always a risk when writers direct their own work, since some playwrights don't travel well from stage to screen. Aided by Roger Deakins, of No Country for Old Men fame, who vividly captures the look of a blustery Bronx winter, Moonstruck's John Patrick Shanley pulls it off. If Doubt makes for a dialogue-heavy experience, like The Crucible and 12 Angry Men, the words and ideas are never dull, and a consummate cast makes each one count. Set in 1964 and loosely inspired by actual events, Shanley focuses on St. Nicholas, a Catholic primary school that has accepted its first African-American student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), who serves as altar boy to the warm-hearted Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Donald may not have any friends, but that doesn't worry his mother, Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis in a scene-stealing performance), since her sole concern is that her son gets a good education. When Sister James (Amy Adams) notices Flynn concentrating more of his attentions on Miller than the other boys, she mentions the matter to Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the school's hard-nosed principal. Looking for any excuse to push the progressive priest out of her tradition-minded institution, Sister Aloysius sets out to destroy him, and if that means ruining Donald's future in the process--so be it. Naturally, she's the least sympathetic combatant in this battle, but Streep invests her disciplinarian with wit and unexpected flashes of empathy. Of all the characters she's played, Sister Aloysius comes closest to caricature, but she never feels like a cartoon; just a sad woman willing to do anything to hold onto what little she has before the forces of change render her--and everything she represents--redundant. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from Doubt (Click for larger image)
Review
Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Meryl Streep's record-setting 15th Oscar nomination (Best Performance by an Actress), Doubt continues to wow audiences and critics alike.
2009 Academy Awards
Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Meryl Streep
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Viola Davis
Nominated Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published John Patrick Shanley
2009 Art Directors Guild
Nominated Excellence in Production Design Award Period Films David Gropman (production designer)
2009 BAFTA Awards
Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Leading Actress Meryl Streep
Nominated Best Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams
2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Winner Critics Choice Award Best Actress Meryl Streep
Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Acting Ensemble Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Nominated Best Picture
Nominated Best Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis
Nominated Best Writer John Patrick Shanley
2008 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
Nominated Best Actress Meryl Streep
Nominated Best Screenplay, Adapted John Patrick Shanley
Nominated Best Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams
Nominated Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis
2008 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
Winner Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis
2009 Golden Globes
Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress Drama Meryl Streep
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Viola Davis
Nominated Best Screenplay John Patrick Shanley
2009 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
Winner Best Actress Meryl Streep
2009 London Critics Circle Film Awards
Nominated Actress of the Year Meryl Streep
2008 National Board of Review
Winner Best Breakthrough Performance Female Viola Davis
Winner Best Ensemble
2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards
Winner Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Meryl Streep
Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Amy Adams
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Viola Davis
Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Philip Seymour Hoffman
2008 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards
Winner Best Actress Meryl Streep
Winner Best Ensemble
2009 Writers Guild of America
Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay John Patrick Shanley --Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.85:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Package Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches; 4 Ounces
- Director : John Patrick Shanley
- Media Format : AC-3, Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 44 minutes
- Release date : April 7, 2009
- Actors : Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Language : Unqualified (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Studio : Miramax
- ASIN : B001PA0FFO
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #28,041 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,242 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Do I think the priest was guilty? Absolutely -- but ultimately we cannot know. The story plays out as a long, beautifully nuanced sketch of the characters of the two antagonists, though, showing how each one wields his or her particular type of power and shows his or her motivations.
Sister Aloysius is the sort of person easy for contemporary Americans to laugh at, the dragon lady principal of a Catholic school who strolls the nave at Mass searching for misbehaving students, smacking heads, grabbing ears, barking harsh reprimands for minor infractions. She hates Frosty the Snowman because of his "pagan" origin. She has a thing about ballpoint pens. She has a maddening, almost unshakeable certainty that looks an awful lot like prejudice at times. And yet, she is also simply -- right most of the time. She is a shrewd, experienced observer who doesn't miss a trick and is usually proved correct -- for example, she clearly has William Lunden's number when she asks Sister James if his nosebleed was self-induced!
Probably a lot of viewers want to root for Father Flynn because he is more likeable. He tells jokes. (Sister Aloysius does, too, but her sense of humor is so dry that they tend to fall flat.) He hangs out with the kids and speaks to them about things that would concern and interest them, like how to shoot a basket or ask a girl to dance. He smiles; he is warm and physical. He says the Church must change by engaging popular culture, loosening up on secularism, and most importantly by showing that priests and religious are just like everyone else. This will appeal to many contemporary American viewers.
Yet this warm and charismatic man, who I think genuinely sees himself as a liberator and a champion, is also a callous, louche, loose-lipped sensualist. We see this most strikingly in the dinner he shares with the delightedly laughing bishop: Red-faced, shoveling in rare beef and swilling alcohol, his eyes gleaming with meanspirited glee, he can barely contain himself as he regales his dining companions with a cruel personal story about a woman who more than likely is or was his parishioner, under his spiritual care. The contrast between this self-indulgent and ill-mannered meal is in painful contrast to the humble, ascetic dinner shared by the sisters, who eat the gristle with their meat and quietly drink milk.
We know that this man is vain and of questionable masculinity (at least according to the conventions of the time) because he fusses over his long, immaculate fingernails. His comment about the length of his nails is interesting: Yes, they're "a little long", but they're clean, and that makes it all right. One wonders what other kinds of unusual behavior he considers acceptable as long as one observes the niceties.
He talks more than once about compassion, highlighting his own. But is he so compassionate? Look at the way he interacts with Donald Miller, the lone black student he has taken under his wing. After the Mass that opens the movie, the boy looks at his adored pastor with shining eyes and a shy, confiding smile and tells him that he wants to be a priest. What would the proper response be? Couldn't Father Flynn have taken a few minutes to talk to the boy about whether or not he had a vocation, offering him real encouragement and giving him real feedback? Instead, he makes a throwaway comment about how Donald would surely make a good priest, then gives him a little toy. Does he even take the boy's expressed wish seriously? (And what an interesting toy! A scantily clad dancer spinning endlessly in front of a mirror, perhaps a subtle reference to Father's exhibitionism and narcissism?)
The other scene that really stood out for me as showing the shallow, self-serving nature of Father's vaunted compassion was the one where William Lunden grabs and spills the contents of Donald Miller's book bag in the middle of a busy hallway. A caring adult witnessing this scene would come to Donald's aid, help him pick up his things, maybe offer a quick, encouraging word. That wouldn't be good enough for Father Flynn! Instead of offering him practical assistance, he takes the boy in his arms and cuddles him, right there in the hall with other students bumping past, in a way that might be appropriate for a very small child, but certainly not for a middle schooler, especially a boy! Does this look caring, or does it look like showy behavior that only serves to make Donald look even more conspicuous than he already is? And more suspect.
Contrast this with Sister Aloysius' behind-the-scenes concern for Donald. In her talk with Sister James, she makes clear that when a student hits Donald, it will be for the last time. When discussing the Christmas pageant, she is concerned that he be equally included with the other students but not made to stand out. In her much-noted scene with Donald's mother, her distress for the boy -- for his innocence, for the injustice of his situation, for his victimization at the hands of his violent father -- is clear. This scene, incidentally, is a standout not just for the superb acting on both sides -- doesn't Viola Davis tear up the screen in her brief appearance! Wow! -- but for its painful depiction of two women talking past each other, unable to understand each other, both wanting to protect Donald but at loggerheads because of the different share of power each woman has in the world. As a black woman in the '60s married to a brutal, unloving man, Mrs. Miller has almost none. Sister Aloysius has some, but mostly in the fact that she is highly intelligent and willing to be ruthless in the pursuit of right. She sees the long view, which includes Donald's soul and his future emotional intactness, whereas Mrs. Miller, inescably constrained by circumstance, can only see till June. Yet both women care deeply for the boy, whereas Father cares for how he personally is seen. He cares very much that he should be the one Sister James sees as looking out for Donald; he tells her as much, bluntly, in words that mirror those of an emotionally abusive parent castigating an ex-spouse to a child.
I found it striking that whereas Sisters James and Aloysius both do what they can to preserve the innocence of the flirtatious girl (I can't remember her name), Father Flynn encourages her (shudder!) to tell the boy with whom she was "in love" all about her feelings. Who is more careful of the well-being of that child, the sisters or Father?
Abusers come in all styles and persuasions, with some, like Father Flynn, priding themselves on being progressives, and others more conservative and traditional. The propensity to be an abuser has nothing to do with theological orthodoxy, politics, or personality type. However, Father Flynn reveals himself to be hypocritical in his progressiveness. For all that he waxes passionate about priests and religious coming down among the people and showing themselves to be no different, he sure doesn't like it when his privileged position is challenged, pulling rank on Sister Aloysius as he belligerently reminds her of her vows of obedience and the fact that she has no right to ask a fellow nun about his past behavior. This follows a great deal of disrespectful and inappropriate behavior toward her: belittling her to her subordinate ("The dragon is hungry" comment at the beginning), openly digging at her during their first meeting by letting her know pointedly that he is going to give a sermon on intolerance, indirectly accusing her of "gossip" simply for doing her job and asking questions about his suspicious behavior (which she has the right and responsibility to do as principal), twitting her about her Lenten sacrifice of sugar, and taking her seat behind the desk in her own office. His progressiveness is merely self-serving, something that allows him to do what he wants while still enjoying the perks of kingly authority over the sisters, lavish meals every night, the ear of the admiring bishop.
When Sister Aloysius breaks down at the movie's close and tearfully confesses her "doubts", I don't think she is saying that she doubts Father Flynn's guilt. I think she is deeply distressed that her move to protect the boys at her school has resulted in Father having unlimited access to the boys of another school; I think she doubts the hierarchy that is not doing its job of shepherding and protecting the flock; she is disillusioned by the painfully apparent good ole boys' network that keeps her from being able to do her job and protect the students under her care; and I think she doubts God, Who allows evil to flourish.
I can agree neither with Sister Aloysius' dishonesty, her ruthlessness in forcing a confession, nor her attitude toward addressing wrongdoing. Does one really step away from God "in His service" when making a move to redress wrong? How can it be so? Yet what a powerful, anguished portrait of what can happen to someone spiritually when struggling for justice in the face of appalling abuse of power and the failure of those in charge to listen.
Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius the Principal and was nominated for the "Oscar" for Best Actress. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Father Flynn, the parish priest and was nominated for Best Actor. Amy Adams plays the young nun Sister James and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
"Doubt" was a Broadway play and won the "Tony' for Best Drama and the Pulitizer Prize for John Patrick Shanley who also wrote and directed the film. He also wrote "Joe vs. the Volcano" from 1990, from Steven Spielberg's production company. Which was the first time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan worked together, a really entertaining comedy which I have in my DVD collection. And, he also wrote "Moonstruck" from 1987 and he won for Best Original Screenplay. And Cher won the "Oscar" for Best Actress and Olympia Dukakis won Best Supporting Actress and co-starred a then unknown Nicholas Cage.. I gave that to my sister Mary for her collection. She saw that in the theater and loved it.
My two older sisters, my older brother, my younger brother and me went to Catholic school with nuns and priests during this time in the early '60's where we grew up in Arlington, Virginia. I noticed we had a different priest every year. The story revolves around the principal accusing the priest of molesting a student. Viola Davis gives a really moving performance as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the student, who is bullied at the school. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I can empathize and relate to this story The movie was a hit at the box-office and with the critics on "Rotten Tomatoes." The tagline for the movie poster read.... "There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt."
Top reviews from other countries
There is such subtlety in how Fr Flynn interacts with the boys. He is positive and encouraging, warm and snarky. Yet the boys all flinch when he thrusts his long fingernails at them. Well all except Donald Miller, the boy under observation. Fr Flynn wants to innovate, Frosty the snowman, have a camping trip. Warning bells!!! Not Frosty, but the camping trip, an ideal occasion of total access to the boys.
Donald's mum hoped that the priest was kind to her son, regardless of his motivation. That sounded cold, until she said his life was in danger if he had to return to his last school or his father thought his son's "personality" had been discovered. The cruelty in that boy's life was barely sketched, but that was a theme that played whenever Sr Aloysius had dealings with children. The children were either a problem that needed correction and they should shut up. The other teachers and nuns were far warmer.
Cue Fr Flynn cuddling Donald in the corridor... he must have felt so secure to do that, either because he was innocent, or because he was in brazenly open and despite confessing to terrible sin "would never feel true regret" in Sr Aloysius' damning phrase.
I am puzzled about why Sr James hid the most telling evidence (the undershirt returned by the priest direct into Donald's locker) - was it inexperience, that she could not infer how the shirt was in his possession? Perhaps had Sr Aloysius been cool on first hearing her fears, Sr James would have had to list all her observations, among them the shirt. When Sr Aloysius immediately jumps to conclusions without any facts, that is very worrying to Sr James who backs off.
But of course Sr Aloysius was not trying to protect a young boy; she is censorious, delighted that she has the means to get rid of Fr Flynn. She never expresses fears that he will go on to abuse other boys when he has moved on. Her Doubt, is not that she was wrong about Fr Flynn, and frankly I am with her instincts there; it may be that she feels guilt that she allowed herself the pleasure of pursuit. Recall the severity of their dinner - the gristle served as a lesson in abjecting oneself. She is not accustomed to obeying others, perhaps she must discipline herself? Where is the Mother Superior of her order? It is she who one would expect her to consult. If she was Mother, she would have been addressed as such.
I knew nuns like Sr Aloysius. Dare to cross them and they are in pursuit of you throughout your career in the school. Yet they love their community, they do good works, they run the school needing only a glance to keep order. No beatings in Sr Aloysius' school did you notice! The experience of waiting outside her office was enough to keep order. Vinegar can be overused though.
A wonderful film that will keep showing new aspects on repeated viewings.
I loved this film for its honesty, the unsentimental gaze on every one of the characters.
この映画は1964年、クリスマスを1ヶ月後に控えた11月22日(日曜日)の朝の様子から始まると考えて良いかも知れない。ちょうどその一年前に起きたジョン・F・ケネディの暗殺は世界中に衝撃を与えた。それは信仰する宗教に関わらず多くの人々に、今何をすべきか、、、子供にどう話すのか、、、自分にどう説明するのか、、、神は何を私たちに試されているのか、、、この世に神は存在するのか、、、様々な「疑念」をもたらす出来事であった。ケネディはカトリック教徒として初めてアメリカ大統領になったが、彼がカトリック教徒であることは大統領選挙中も大きな問題の一つであり、大統領候補にとってはマイナス要因であった。「カトリック教徒としての判断がアメリカ国民の利益よりも優先されることはないのか」という質問を彼は記者から投げかけられたこともある。世界中のカトリック教会において、その1週間前でも後でもなく、1964年11月22日の朝、祭壇に立った神父はケネディ大統領暗殺について言及したことだろう。映画の舞台となる聖ニコラス・スクールはカトリック教徒であるアイルランド系、イタリア系アメリカ人が多く住むニューヨークのブロンクス地区にある。フリン神父もその名字が示すようにアイリッシュ系アメリカ人だ。
アロイシス校長は冷徹で厳しい人物として、一方フリン神父はやさしく子供思いの人物として描かれているが、注意して見ていると、表面的な様子とは異なる姿がその下に隠れていることに気づかされる。アロイシス校長は冷たい性格だから生徒達に厳しく接しているのではない。厳しさが生徒の成長に必要だから、そして学校があるべき姿から外れることのないように、そして生徒たちの保護者が私学であるこの学校へ入学させた理由は何かということを責任を持って受け止めているからこそ、校長として厳格に生徒たちの指導をしているのだ。そのことが分かる場面が随所に散りばめられている。アロイシス校長は常に生徒全体に視線を向け、食堂での生徒のちょっとした動きにも適切な言葉をかける。フリン神父がウィリアム・ロンドンという生徒の腕に触れた時のウィリアムの一瞬の反応も決して見逃してはいない。この瞬間に彼女はフリン神父の誤った行為への「疑惑」を「確信」に変える。ウィリアムが示すフリン神父に対する嫌悪感は体育館でも描かれている。早熟なウィリアムは気づいているのだ。8年生のクラスは経験のある教師に担当させたいが、教員配置の関係でアロイシス校長はまだ若いシスター・ジェイムズに任せることにする。彼女の授業が問題なく進められているか様子を見に行くことも校長としての大切な仕事であり、アロイシス校長はその義務を適切に果たす。男子生徒に人気のある女子生徒が髪留めをしていることに気づいたアロイシス校長がすぐに注意をして外させるのも校則に違反しているからであり、冷たい人間だからではない。トランジスター・ラジオを授業中にイヤフォンで聞いている男子生徒をアロイシス校長が見つけた時のやり取りはどうだろう。
「これは?コンロイさん。」
「わかりません。」
「わからない?耳からコードが出ているのよ。」
「さあ何でしょう?」と平気で答える生徒には、厳格な言動と行動であたらなければ、なすべき教育は施せない。
当時の時代背景として、もう一つ重要な事柄は、1964年が公民権運動のまっただ中であったことだ。白人と黒人が別々の学校ではなく、同じ学校に通うことを義務づけた法律が制定されるが、これは公立の学校に対するものであって、私立の学校はその対象とはならない。黒人生徒として初めてドナルドが聖ニコラス・スクールに入学するに当たって、アロイシス校長が果たした役割が大きかったであろうことは容易に推測できる。クリスマス・ページェントでのドナルドの役割について、彼女は人種差別的発言をしているのではない。ドナルドに対する偏見が助長されることのないようにドナルドを守ろうとしているのだ。
一方、フリン神父の言動を考えてみると、太った女性を侮蔑するジョークを同僚に語る場面がある。それは単なるジョークではなく、フリン神父の女性に対する考え方を象徴している会話なのかも知れない。生徒を含めた周囲の人間に本当の意味で配慮をしているのは、フリン神父ではなく、アロイシス校長なのだ。目が不自由になってきた年老いたシスター・ベロニカをかばう場面が二度登場する。食卓の上のフォークが何処にあるか分からず食事を始められないシスター・ベロニカの左手にそっとフォークを触れさせる。その時、アロイシス校長の様子に気づくのはシスター・ジェイムズ一人だけだが、人間として本当に大切な暖かさを持っているのは、フリン神父ではなくアロイシス校長なのだ。勿論、本人自身の考え方によるが、一つの理念として校長という職にある人間がまず為すべきことは、生徒に好かれる存在になることではなく、生徒に畏敬の念、畏怖の念を抱かせる存在になることである。そして後者である方が前者よりも遥かに難しいことは言うまでもない。教育現場での自分のあるべき姿を真摯に受け止め実践しているアロイシス校長を冷徹な人物と評するのは、生徒に迎合して前者であろうする人間に起きがちな誤りかも知れない。アロイシス校長が、本当はユーモアのある明るい女性であることを垣間みるシーンがある。シスター・ベロニカが鼻血を出したという話をシスター・ジェイムズから聞いたアロイシス校長は、「あなたが殴ったのでは?つまり、ウィリアム・ロンドンに続き今回も、、、、 (I’m beginning to think you’re punching people―first William London and...)」と冗談を言うが、ピンと来ないシスター・ジェイムズに気づいて、「どうでもいいわ。(Never mind.)」と話を終わらせてしまう。戦後、米国でも日本でも、そして家庭でも学校でも厳しさが失われていった原因がどこにあるのか。アロイシス校長が次のようにシスター・ジェイムズに問いかけるシーンがある。
「あなたは本気で生徒達は刑務所の囚人のようだと思う?」
「いいえ。みんな幸せそうですが、校長様を恐れています。」
「そうあるべきです。(That’s how it works.)」
アロイシス校長とフリン神父は、古い価値観と新しい価値観を象徴しているようだ。教室に掛けられた「亡くなられた」教皇の写真は前者を、ボールペンは後者を象徴するものとして登場するが、古いから悪い、新しいから良いという単純な図式に置き換えることはできない。
シスター・ジェイムズは「ドナルドには、守ってくれる人がいる」とアロイシス校長に話すが、本当にドナルドを守っているのはフリン神父ではなく、アロイシス校長だ。ドナルドの様子がおかしいことに気づいたシスター・ジェイムズはアロイシス校長に相談をする。その結果彼女はフリン神父に直接事情を聞く決断をする。問いつめられたフリン神父は、ドナルドがワインを飲んだことをいとも簡単に打ち明ける。次のように言い切ることができたのに。「信者でもある生徒の告白であるから神父として懺悔の内容には一切触れることは出来ない。」何故あのようにあっさりとドナルドにとって不利なことを口にしてしまうのか。私にはドナルドが自ら目を盗んでワインを飲んだとは思えない。フリン神父が本当にドナルドを守っているとは言いがたい。
アロイシス校長からの電話連絡を受け、校長に会いに来たドナルドの母親が、仕事を抜けて学校へ来ることの難しさを告げると、アロイシス校長は話す時間を少しでも多く作り出すためにドナルドの母親の職場へ向かって二人で歩きながら話を始める。ここにもアロイシス校長の心遣いが表れている。その時、ドナルドの母親はフリン神父と一度も顔を合わせて言葉を交わしたことがないと告げる。「ミサでお姿を拝見し、息子から話を聞くだけ」(Just seen him on the altar. I haven’t met him face to face. No. Just you know, I heard from Donald.) フリン神父がドナルドのことを本当に心から心配しているのなら、何故一度もドナルドの母親と話をしたことがないのか。不可解としか言いようがない。気にかけている生徒の保護者が来校したとき、こちらから近づいて行って話しかけるのは、教職にあるものとしてあまりにも当然な行為なのに、何故フリン神父はドナルドの母親に話しかけようとしないのか?ドナルドが父親に殴られていることを知っても家庭訪問をしようとはしない。そしてドナルドの母親もお世話になっている神父に話しかけようとしないのは何故か?理由は明らかだ。ドナルドの母親はアロイシス校長に、息子にもフリン神父と同様の性向があることを仄めかす。ドナルドの父親がドナルドを殴るのはワインを飲んだからではないこと、神が与えた性質で子供を責められないことにも言及する。アロイシス校長が直接ドナルド自身にフリン神父の行動について聞こうとしないのは何故か。ドナルドにその質問をしても、学校で唯一人自分のことを「気にかけてくれる」フリン神父に不利な証言はしないだろう。フリン神父が5年間に3回も教区を変わったのは何故なのか。アロイシス校長がフリン神父の前任校のシスターに電話をして確かめたという「嘘」を聞いて、フリン神父は何故自ら聖ニコラス・スクールを去る決意をするのか。無実の疑いならば、去るべきではないし、去るということは、その罪を自ら認めることに他ならない。真相は疑惑のままに映画は終わってはいない。
映画の最後でアロイシス校長が突然泣き崩れ、「疑いが、、、言いようのない、、、疑いの気持ちが。(I have doubts. I have such doubts.)」 という言葉を口にするが、これは証拠もなくフリン神父を責め続けたことへの自責の念などではない。もし自責の念ならば、アロイシス校長の最後の言葉は I have doubts. ではなく I had doubts. となるだろう。私は、彼女の持つ疑念はフリン神父の件とはまったく異なることへの「疑念」だと考える。
アロイシス校長との会話の中で、ドナルドの母親は校長が結婚をしていたことを知り驚く。アロイシス校長の夫が、第2次世界大戦で戦死したという事実の中に最後の I have doubts. I have such doubts. の意味を読み取ることができるのではないだろうか。
アロイシス校長が夫を亡くしたのは恐らく彼女が30代半ばのことだろう。20代半ばで結婚していたとするなら、夫の戦死と言う悲しい出来事で二人の結婚生活は10年ほどで終わりを告げたことになる。夫の死を通じて彼女は修道女への道を選び、信仰と共に残りの人生を神と共に過ごす決心をする。それまで世俗で生きて来た彼女にとって、その決意の大きさ、重さを推測することは難しくない。ある場面で彼女は語る。「我々は違うんです。労働者階級の人々は我々に違っていてほしいんです。(We’re different. Working class people of this parish trust us to be different.)」アロイシス校長は神との生活を選び、一般人とは異なる人生への誓いを立てて修道女となった。夫を失うまでの彼女の生活はどのようなものだったのだろう。二人には子供はいなかったようだ。子供がいたならば、彼女は違う選択をしていたことだろう。夫の遺族年金だけでは生活は苦しいから仕事を続けていたか、仕事を始めていたことだろう。自分のためではなく、子供のことを思い、懸命に働き、立派に子供を育て上げただろう。しかし、子供のいなかった彼女は修道女の道を選び、20年ほどの年月が流れる。当時、カトリック教会では「バチカンの改革」と呼ばれるカトリック教会の歴史上例をみない大改革が始まっていた。大きな価値観の変化だ。1959年1月25日、教皇ヨハネ23世が聖パウロの修道院をふらりと訪れ、ローマ枢機卿17人の前で突然、公会議を召集することを告げる。この教皇自身の決断は、熟考の結果ではなく「予期しないところにふと訪れた春の木々の芽生えのように生まれた」もので当然ながら大きな混乱を引き起こす。それから23年も経過した1982年に、ポルトガルのファティマを訪れていたヨハネ・パウロ2世がバチカン改革に反発していたスペイン人神父に刃物で襲われ、怪我を負うという事件はこの問題の大きさと根深さを浮き彫りにしている。厳格な表情を崩さなかったと言われる前任者ピウス12世とは対照的に、教皇ヨハネ23世は気さくで親しみやすくユーモア溢れる教皇であった。シスター・ジェイムズの教室を訪れたアロイシス校長が、板書している時でも生徒の様子が観察出来るように黒板に額入りの写真を掛ける。そこに写っているのは厳格だったピウス12世だ。シスター・ジェイムズはその写真を見て「もう亡くなられた方」と口にするが、その写真は「古い価値観」を大切にするアロイシス校長の気持ちを象徴しているのだろう。ピウス12世からヨハネ23世に変わったことでカトリック教会の世界に大きな変化が起き、アメリカという国もケネディ大統領暗殺を境に大きく変化して行くことになる。
バチカン改革という問題の大きさ、深さは、シスター・アロイシスの肩にも大きくのしかかる大問題であったはずだ。戦争で愛する夫を失った彼女が人生のすべてを捧げる決意をしたカトリックの教義が大きく揺らぐ中、あれほどフリン神父に対する「疑念」には揺るぎのない信念を持つことが出来たのに、もっと大切な教義、神の存在自身に対する疑念がアロイシス校長の心の中に大きく渦巻き始めていたのではないだろうか。あれだけの強さを持つアロイシス校長が突然泣き伏す理由は、決してフリン神父に対する自責の念などではない。彼女の進言にも関わらずフリン神父が「昇進」したことへの憤り、カトリック教会全体への憤り、信仰の道を選んだ信念の揺らぎに対する I have doubts. だと私は考える。フリン神父の行為については一切の「疑念」を抱くことなく、信ずるところを押し通せたのに、信仰についての「疑念」を拭い去ることができない涙だと思うのだ。
インドの貧民窟での活動に生涯を捧げたマザー・テレサが、神の存在に疑いを持っていたという話をインターネット上で読んだ記憶がある。映画の最後の場面を見終えたとき、そのことが頭を過ぎった。アイリッシュ系アメリカ人劇作家ジョン・パトリック・シャンリーの作品である「ダウト」は作家自身のカトリック教会への「疑念」を描いているのかも知れない。アロイシス校長とフリン神父の「対決」を通して、古い価値観と新しい価値観の衝突を描いているのかも知れない。シャンリー自身は Doubt の脚本の前書きの最後を次の言葉で締め括っている。
Doubt requires more courage than conviction does, and more energy; because conviction is a resting place and doubt is infinite―it is a passionate exercise. You may come out of my play uncertain. You may want to be sure. Look down on that feeling. We’ve got to learn to live with a full measure of uncertainty. There is no last word. That’s the silence under the chatter of our time.
[拙訳] 疑いは確信よりも勇気を、そしてエネルギーを必要とします。なぜなら確信は安らぐことのできる場所であり、疑いは無限に広がって行くものだからです。それは情熱を伴う行為なのです。私の劇を見た後、皆さんは不透明な思いを持つかも知れません。確信を抱きたくなるのかも知れません。その気持ちを覗き込んで下さい。私たちは不確実な気持ちをたくさん抱きながら生きて行くことを学ばなければならないのです。終わりの言葉はないのです。それは私たちの時代のおしゃべりの下に潜む沈黙なのです。