Doubt (Rated PG-13)

Once we get past the opening credits we have Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) delivering a sermon. He starts by saying, “What do you do when you’re not sure?” And that, for most of us, is the central question of the film. The exception is Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) a woman who sees no grey in the world, only black and white.

“Doubt” is set in 1964 and, in terms of the narrative, the question is: did Father Flynn abuse the only black student in a Roman Catholic school? If you’re the kind of person who likes everything in a movie divided up into neat little piles at the end you’ll want to give this one a miss.

If, like me, you’re interested in the discussion of moral questions, trying to understand the grey areas and how best to determine when we’ve moved from white to black on the ethical scale, then you’ll find this film a very interesting dialog.

The way it plays out is a lot like getting an eye exam. When the ophthalmologist starts adjusting the lenses and asks, “which is clearer, A or B?” The story (written originally as a play then adapted for the screen – all done by the film’s director John Patrick Shanley) lays out facts and says, “Okay, what do you think?” Then it tells you something else and says, “Now what do you think?”

There were only four characters in the play, the film has more but the four central characters, Father Flynn, Sister Aloysius, Sister James (Amy Adams) and the mother of the child in question Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis). All the actors give excellent performances. Adams’ Sister James is charming and totally innocent, but it is she who notices what might be an inappropriate relationship. Davis’ character is strangely disinterested in taking action when the question of the relationship is brought before her.

Sister Aloysius is pursuing the matter, but is it because she dislikes the priest for his informal and warm approach to his job? She’s a woman so strict, so severe, that she finds “Frosty the Snowman” to be heretical. No, she’s not kidding. Severe? You could keep meat fresh in the ventricles of this woman’s heart.

Father Flynn is engaging and charming. Is that part of the con that an abuser would perpetrate to get away with what he does?

The film probably functions as a Rorschach test for the audience. Most of us will probably determine the question by falling back on the biases we walked in with. Me? My job is to tell you what the movie is about and whether I think it’s worth seeing. I think I’ve done the first and the second, so I’ll leave you to watch the movie and decide for yourself, “What DO you do when you’re not sure?”