Doubt (3/10) Movie CLIP - Dirty Nails (2008) HD

CLIP DESCRIPTION:
Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) chides the students in gym class for having dirty nails.

FILM DESCRIPTION:
When the principal (Meryl Streep) of a Bronx Catholic High School accuses a popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of pedophilia, a young nun caught in between the feuding pair becomes hopelessly swept up in the ensuing controversy. 1964, St. Nicholas, the Bronx: The winds of change are sweeping through this tight-knit religious community, and charismatic priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is doing his best to adapt by revisiting the school's notoriously strict disciplinary practices. Unfortunately Father Flynn's progressive ideas stand in stark contrast to the longstanding beliefs of Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-willed principal, who believes that an oppressive environment of punishment and fear is the only way to keep the student body in line. Suddenly into this tempestuous environment appears young Donald Miller, St. Nicholas' first black student. When hopeful innocent Sister James (Amy Adams) reluctantly reveals to Sister Beauvier that Father Flynn and Donald have been spending an unusual amount of time together in the church rectory, the unrelentingly righteous headmistress begins a merciless crusade to reveal the beloved clergyman as a lecherous child molester and have him permanently expunged from the school. Yet despite her moral certainty that Father Flynn has committed such an unspeakable transgression, Sister Beauvier has not a shred of actual evidence to back up her audacious claim. Now, as Sister Beauvier and Father Flynn enter into an epic battle of wills, the shock waves set into motion by their explosive confrontation threaten to destroy one man's reputation and tear apart the entire surrounding community. John Patrick Shanley adapted his own play for the screen under the guidance of producer Scott Rudin (The Queen, Notes on a Scandal).

CREDITS:
TM & © Miramax Films (2008)
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lloyd Clay Brown, Mike Roukis, Paulie Litt
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Producers: Celia D. Costas, Mark Roybal, Scott Rudin, Nora Skinner
Screenwriter: John Patrick Shanley

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HIT US UP:

[CBDBnoho]

"But look at how clean they are. That makes it ok." A lot of symbolism, interpretation, and double meaning to that one. And to a lot of things in this movie.

[boys_and_the_booze]

"That makes it okay." I got nauseous!

[whpblaze]

that last line always creeped me out: "That makes it ok" Fuckin chills

[jessiejames]

hoffman played his part very well. we dont know for sure if he did or didnt but it makes us feel very wary of him...his very presence if a child feels uncomfortable with any person, a parent should take it seriously....

[caliden]

What a dame shame Phillip Hoffman Seymour died to young.what an immense talent.

[butterscotchoreo]

that little boy, i forget his name, who backed up from him knew something wasn't right about the priest

[yorktown]

Towards the end of the film, when Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn finally have it out in her office, she says that it was when she saw William London flinch away from the priest, she knew. Father Flynn dismisses this as paranoia over nothing. But whenever I watch this scene, and the way that Flynn parades his fingers in front of the boys, and the way he pauses in front of William, and that squeak of the shoe, and the way he recoils...

[calbassas]

The more I see this movie the more convinced I am that the blonde boy was Father Flynn’s actual victim. Not Donald Miller.

[Valhalen]

He flicked his hand in front of the blonde kid to tell him that he knows the blonde kid is smoking and it's tarring his nails...it can easily go either way

[henrykoskoff]

The symbolism of his nails being long, showing his experimentation with homosexuality, but being clean, showing that he is able to leave a clear path due to his Catholic power is vivid.

[emperorreign]

I think he was guilty. It was just the wrong boy he was accused of abusing by Meryl Streep.

[markdominick]

Absolute, genius symbolism. Obvious implication without a reveal...as was the premise of the entire film.

[AGR]

His whole speech about “getting used to a routine” so that you’ll “forget to get tensed up”. This is the method he uses to perfect his poker face. He’s practiced in feigning his innocence, the sick liar.

[violinpiano]

I think the cleanliness of the nails symbolizes his innocence and the length confirms the priest's homosexuality. I don't think he molested the boy; I think he was trying to help the boy cope with being different in society, being black but also being gay as well. The beating from the boy's father could also be a result of the dad realizing his boy was gay.

[emilyh]

I think that kid at the end knows he is a creep

[awwwyeaboyeeee]

Too long. Unless you play fingerstyle guitar or whatever.

[joshuahjjohnston]

He wasn't abusing the "black boy", he was abusing that boy who flinched at the end of this clip.

[jessiejames]

actually at the convent i went to school at, my teachers would check our see if they were clean.

[sittingduck]

Father Flynn's emphasis on keeping the nails clean symbolizes the importance of the Holy sacrement of Confession, as it is a rite that absolves Catholics of their past sins and start afresh. The problem is that the priest misuses the gift of this sacrement to indulge in his sin (child molestation), as hinted by his preference of keeping his nails long.

[BunnyMan]

This is my favorite scene in the whole film