In 1964, a priest at a Catholic school is accused by the Principal, a nun, of sexually abusing one of the pupils.Based on Shanley's own stage play, this is a surprisingly morally complex exploration of a topic that could so easily turn tortuous and sermonising. At one point the realisation hits home that we're more in an exploration of hierarchy and character than one of the nature of abuse. To enable this to unfold without the overbearing burden of condemnation, the true nature of events is left clouded. Our doubt at what occurred is therefore unforcedly mirrored by the doubt the principal protagonists feel towards each other, and eventually towards their faith.
This must be Meryl Streep's finest performance in years, as the self-righteous nun and accuser: what could so easily have turned out as an embittered harridan, a fanatical martinet, comes out instead as a woman on a mission that she must believe in in order to be able to go through with it, and it is quite startling to find a degree of sympathy for her zealotry. Meanwhile, Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the avuncular priest, is at his usual standard of excellence. It becomes as easy to believe him guilty as innocent, and this takes some command of nuance.
Perhaps the stageplay origins are betrayed by the verbiosity present, and some gripes might be had in that there is no real interest shown in a conclusive judgement of an odious issue. No matter: this is an outstanding study of character, not a lecture, and all the more life-like for it.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment