Doubt

It is Oscar season, which means we are snowed under by screeners, thanks to Jonathan. I love it. The other night we watched Doubt, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. I had read a fair amount about it, including the fact that in the end, the question of whether the priest really molested the boy is never resolved. That is for the audience to figure out. That, said the director and writer, is the way life is. You don't always get an answer.
The movie started slow but ended powerfully. On stage it would have been magnificent. When it ended I commented that I was surprised. I was surprised, I told Jonathan, that despite what I had read, I did not feel any question at all. I thought it was abundantly clear, not even debateable, that the priest had NOT molested the boy. That this was a tale of suspicion, and how suspicion alone, and gossip, and fear of what you do not know, and the psychic war that ensues, can destroy people. I was astounded when Jonathan completely disagreed. He said it was totally obvious that the priest HAD molested the boy. Now here is what was so strange. Neither of us felt doubt. We both felt conviction--only in completely opposite directions. Have you seen it? What did you think? What did you think the movie was about?