I couldn’t picture a better film than Doubt to express the feelings of discomfort that we all share in the wake of the crisis we are leaving. Beyond the expected plot of a Catholic priest who indulges in his Christian love for pupils and an inflexible nun who wants to stop him at any cost – a real conflict is hidden. The conflict of our time personified by the two characters: Liberty vs Virtue.
The nun is an unpleasant character that anybody would like to have as the director of his/her kids’ school. She is regressive and trying to stop progressive education in her institute. The priest is the opposite. He’s a nice, jolly, progressive religious man who wants to reform the church and get closer to parishes. Perhaps too close to the younger one. So she has to step forward to bring order and justice back.
The film seems to remind us that only Virtue can resist against life challenges and triumph over human weakness, while Liberty leads to cross natural boundaries and ends up as anarchy – the enemy of good society.
In the middle of a crisis that has proven that liberalism – economic and moral – has failed to deliver a better future for everybody and puts at risk it own achievements, is it time to go back to the old solid principles, wiping out all the liberal nonsense? Have we exceeded in our liberty? I guess the nuns are heading in the race to answer the questions while the priests are escorted to jail.
Is this all? Is the choice just between a nun and a priest? I don’t think so: Tertium datur (a third choice is possibile – for ignorant readers who didn’t study Latin at school). I choose Milk, the gay activist who decided to dedicate his life to fight for civil rights and becoming the first open gay elected to public office in the US, without renouncing a jolly life full of minor sins.
You don’t have to choose between the nun and the priest, you can follow Milk’s example!
