May 14, 2021

I am in Seattle! Sitting on my friend's patio with my other friend in the sun. It is nice. I have a little bit of sore throat/runny nose from being around my nephews. I am spreading disease, just not COVID. COVID has had a long enough run, it's time for other sicknesses to shine. 

I watched two movies yesterday! I was inspired by Edgar Wright to watch one in the middle of the day. I got all my stuff done by 4pm so I could squeeze one in before my flight. 

I retweeted the Black List tweet about Breaking Up Is Easy. Friends from college saw it (and were excited, which was nice of them), and now I'm explaining the Black List to people. I am doing it in great depth because I think a lot about my potential career, and I like to blow on about it when given a chance. I have not been telling people about the movies I pitched to that producer (because, well, I haven't heard back in a few weeks, which I think means it's a no go -- but still! At one point it was a possibility) or about the grant application I put in for my audio producing. Maybe I'll get that! Maybe I'll have more success soon. We don't know. 

Mlog time! 

**SPOILERS**

DOUBT

2008

Directed by: John Patrick Shanley

Written by: John Patrick Shanley

Watched: 5/13/21

Father Flynn gives a sermon on doubt, about how in doubt we are not alone and how it may be as sustaining as certainty. The principal at the catholic elementary school, Sister Aloysius, bridles at the sermon. She becomes wary of the priest and encourages the other nuns to report to her if anything suspicious happens. Sister James, a young innocent and passionate teacher, tells Sister Aloysius about Father Flynn calling Donald, the only black student, to the rectory alone. When Donald came back he was acting strangely and had the smell of wine on his breath. Sister Aloysius is convinced that Father Flynn is having – or working on having – an improper relationship with Donald. She’s determined to get Father Flynn out of the school herself. 

The whole movie, it’s unclear whether or not Father Flynn is guilty of this accusation. He’s shown to be kind and progressive, and it’s suggested that Sister Aloysius doesn’t like him because he does too modern things like writing with ballpoint pen. And yet there are more red flags, the way one of the students recoils when the Father touches him. The revelation that Donald is gay. The fact that Sister Aloysius lies and tells Father Flynn that he talked to a nun at his former parish. This gets a rise out of Father Flynn, suggesting that there were allegations of misconduct. In the end, Father Flynn does get moved to a different parish. He even gets a promotion. Sister James is sad about his leaving, unsure about whether or not Father Flynn was guilty of misconduct or simply a kind person. Sister Aloysius breaks down crying and admit that she has doubts. And I’m pretty sure she means doubts beyond the question of Father Flynn. 

I could definitely tell this started as a stage play. It’s dialogue driven. Conversations in a handful of locations. It’s a wonderful movie that probably never needed to be a movie. The acting is great – Philip Seymore Hoffman, Amy Adams, Meryl Streep sounding just like my Aunt Kay. My favorite part was how the movie opens with a question – who was Father Flynn thinking of when he wrote his sermon on doubt? It’s suggested – by Sister Aloysius – that he meant someone in the parish, perhaps even speaking about himself. That question is then entirely upstaged by the question of whether or not Father Flynn is a pedophile, and Sister A is certain that he is. To then come back, and with the ending, answer that first and almost forgotten question, was wonderful. 

Rating: ★★★★