Gossip

Hace 2 semanas fui al cine para ver una de las películas que más estuve esperando en torno a la 81ª entrega del oscar. La película a la que me refiero es ni más ni menos que Doubt, la puesta en escena de una escuela religiosa en la que se presenta un conflicto entre una monja y un sacerdote al cual se acusa de pederastía que se llevó a la pantalla grande bajo la dirección y guionismo del mismo creador de la obra, John Patrick Shanley (The Red Coat).

La película me dejo mucho que desear en términos de producción (Escenarios, Fotografía, etc.) a pesar de contar con una excelente trama y actuaciones de primer nivel, entre las que destacan Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote, Love Liza) como el padre Flynn y Meryl Streep (Sophie's Choice, The Hours) como la hermana Aloysius. De los actores "del momento" Hoffman es el favorito del autor de este blog (Jack Nicholson es el favorito de siempre), y Streep siempre ha estado en la realeza de las actrices.

La película se resume como un continuo debate entre Aloysius y Flynn en que la primera trata de poner en evidencia al segundo de un crimen del que ni siquiera esta segura que este ha cometido. Durante uno de los sermones de Flynn, este decide tocar el tema del "rumor" audazmente, en el que expresa de manera implícita a la hermana Aloysius lo que esta provocando con su sospecha. En lo personal está escena es cumbre, dura, directa, perfecta. Después del salto les dejo un fragmento del guión original de Shanley donde podrán leer el sermón de Flynn.

A woman was gossiping with a friend

about a man she hardly knew--I

know none of you have ever done

this--that night she had a dream. A

great hand appeared over her and

pointed down at her.

She was immediately seized with an

overwhelming sense of guilt.

The next day she went to

confession.

She got the old parish priest,

Father O’Rourke, and she told him

the whole thing. “Is gossiping a

sin?” she asked the old man. “Was

that the hand of God Almighty

pointing a finger at me?

“Should I be asking your

absolution? Father, tell me, have

I done something wrong?”

“Yes!” Father O’Rourke answered

her.

“Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-

up female! You have borne false

witness against your neighbor, you

have played fast and loose with his

reputation, and you should be

heartily ashamed!”

So the woman said she was sorry and

asked for forgiveness. “Not so

fast!” says O’Rourke. “I want you

to go home, take a pillow up on

your roof, cut it open with a

knife, and return here to me!”

So the woman went home, took a

pillow off her bed, a knife from

the drawer, went up the fire escape

to the roof, and stabbed the

pillow.

Then she went back to the old

parish priest as instructed.

“Did you gut the pillow with the

knife?” he says. “Yes, Father.” “And

what was the result?” “Feathers,”

she said. A world of feathers.

“Feathers?” he repeated. “Feathers

everywhere, Father!”

“Now I want you to go back and

gather up every last feather that

flew out on the wind!”

“Well,” she said, “it can’t be

done. I don’t know where they went.

The wind took them all over.”

”And that!!!,” said Father O’Rourke,

“is gossip!”