Summary
The film opens with a series of montage shots that depict the centrality of the Catholic church. A young white boy wakes up early in order to fulfill his responsibilities as an altar boy. When the boy begins making preparations for the church service, he is hastily greeted by Donald Miller, his black peer. After the two divide their responsibilities for the morning, Donald asks the other altar boy if he appears “fat.” Meanwhile, a couple strolls across the street discussing their after-mass plans. The diegetic soundtrack of church hymnals accompanies the shots of the cathedral as it reaches capacity.
Father Flynn, the priest, begins his sermon at the altar. Flynn urges the congregation to think about the assassination of President Kennedy the year before. He explains that although Kennedy’s death elicited feelings of disorientation and despair, people inevitably unified and responded compassionately when confronted with tragedy. As Father Flynn begins recounting the story of a sailor who is tortured by his doubt at sea, a nun walks around chastising ill-behaved children.
Father Flynn concludes by explaining that “doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.” At the end of the sermon, Donald Miller’s attention turns to a bird that is flying above the altar. He later follows Father Flynn to the bathroom, where he compliments him on his powerful sermon. After Donald tells Father Flynn that he has inspired the boy to become a priest, Flynn gives Donald a gift of a toy dancer.
The scene cuts to before daybreak. In a house, Sister James, a young nun, prepares for the day. In the following scene, it is revealed that Sister James is a teacher at the parish school. As she ushers her students into class, we watch as Father Flynn cracks jokes and pokes fun at many of the young students. In contrast, Sister Aloysius, the strict and uptight principal of the school, calls the students to order.
Sister Aloysius singles out one particular misbehaving student and orders him to her office. Father Flynn notices and comments on her behavior, telling Sister James that “the dragon is hungry.” As Sister James conducts class, it is clear that her students do not respect her authority. When Sister Aloysius enters the room, she again usurps control. She yells at two students, one for wearing a hair barrette and the other for wearing headphones in class.
Later that night, Sister James, Sister Aloysius, and the other nuns eat dinner in their shared home. After eating in awkward silence, Sister Aloysius asks her colleagues about Father Flynn’s most recent sermon. While Sister James innocently replies that the sermon was about “doubt,” Sister Aloysius presses the nuns to consider the theme’s personal relevance to their priest. Sister James becomes visibly uncomfortable at Sister Aloysius’s suspicion. Sister Aloysius then urges everyone to be aware of Father Flynn’s conduct, specifically regarding his behavior towards students.
Inside the church, Father Flynn gazes at a stained glass image of a biblical eye. We also see that the student that Sister Aloysius has previously chastised has faked a nosebleed in order to skip class and smoke cigarettes. During lunch, Sister Aloysius directly addresses Sister James’s naivety. While Sister James believes that the student’s nose started to bleed spontaneously, Sister Aloysius is certain that it was self-induced. This comment causes Sister James to reflect on her naive assumptions.
Analysis
The film’s first scenes powerfully establish the setting and characterization of the principal actors. In this working-class community in the Bronx, it is apparent that the Catholic church signifies ritual, sanctuary, and tradition. However, among these signifiers of stability, the opening moments begin to reveal the changes to the church and, more broadly, the changes to American society. We are briefly introduced to Donald Miller, the church’s sole black student and altar boy. At this point in the plot, the audience knows little about Donald and his individual circumstances. However, the presence of a black boy in a historically white space during the year 1964 first-handedly introduces the film’s themes of adversity, progress, and change.
The behavior of the film’s main characters indicates both the resistance and the acceptance of the church’s changes. Father Flynn’s opening sermon demonstrates his adoption of progressive ideals. In his sermon, Flynn recognizes the world around him and understands that as a religious leader, he has the platform to inspire others to think critically about the confines of tradition. He encourages his congregation to embrace what is uncomfortable in order to challenge, learn, and grow.
On the other hand, Sister Aloysius stands in stark contrast to Father Flynn. While Father Flynn maintains playful and joking relationships with the students at the school’s parish, Sister Aloysius is clearly feared by both students and teachers. From the opening shots, it is apparent that Sister Aloysius is a strict disciplinarian. While she takes her job seriously, we also learn that she has a complex relationship to the church. Though she is comfortable in the church’s traditions, she is also skeptical of the church’s gender and power structures. She possesses a keenness and awareness that distinguishes her from her colleagues.
Finally, Sister James is portrayed as naive and impressionable. Her amiable demeanor causes the students at the parish school to see her as a pushover. Sister James finds the positive attributes of every situation and is trusting of the church as an institution. However, as she grows closer with Sister Aloysius, it becomes clear that Sister James begins to question her general senses of certainty and trust. This initial characterization of Sister James is incredibly important, as she is one of the characters that undergoes an intense transformation as the film progresses.
When we see Father Flynn give Donald Miller the gift of a toy dancer, we begin to understand the importance of their relationship to the film’s plot. Although Father Flynn is playful with the other students, he seems to treat Donald with specific care and attention. At the conclusion of Father Flynn’s sermon, Donald focuses his attention on a bird that flies in the church. This indicates that the church represents comfort, hope, and possibility for Donald. Though the toy dancer is rather effeminate, the audience is prompted to question whether its presence demonstrates the sensitive and supportive nature of Father Flynn or hints at a homosexual subtext.
