Là một người Công giáo "bỏ đạo" từng học 11 năm trường Công giáo nhưng không tham dự thánh lễ trong 35 năm ngoài đám cưới và tang lễ, tôi nghĩ mình sẽ thấy thú vị khi xem bộ phim này. Và tôi đã thấy... trong hai phần ba đầu của bộ phim. Đó là những điều thông thường - những giáo lý nghiêm khắc của trường giáo xứ, tính dục bị kìm nén, v.v. Nhưng sau đó, bộ phim đột nhiên trở nên độc địa. RẤT độc địa. Hãy lưu ý rằng, tôi đã xem bộ phim này trước khi các vụ bê bối lạm dụng tình dục nổ ra... và có lẽ tôi sẽ không bị xúc phạm bởi những lời chỉ trích cay độc và đầy thù hận nhắm vào Giáo hội Công giáo nếu tôi biết về những hành vi khủng khiếp (một thuật ngữ Công giáo!) và che đậy sự thật.
As a "lapsed Catholic" who had 11 years of Catholic school, but hasn't been to Mass in 35 years except for weddings and funerals, I thought I'd get a kick out of this. And I did . . . for the first two-thirds of the movie. It was all the standard stuff -- strict parochial school teachings, repressed sexuality, etc. But then, suddenly, the movie turned mean. REALLY mean. Now mind you, I saw this before the pedophilia scandals hit . . . and maybe I wouldn't have been quite so offended at such nasty, hateful digs at the Catholic Church if I'd known about those abominations (such a Catholic term!) and coverups.<br /><br />It's been a few years since I rented the video, and I won't go back to rent it again with a new perspective. It just left such a dirty, nasty, ugly taste in my mouth . . . I wonder what experience all the actors had with the Church, because either they *really* hate it, or they whored themselves for the paycheck. It's an incredibly anti-Catholic movie, offensive to anyone who has a glimmer of a gleam of respect for Catholic education. Which I still do because there were no better teachers back in the '50s. Whatever else those nuns did, they forced me to learn how to read and write the English language. They made us memorize. (How many kids today can do simple arithmetic in their heads?) Truth is, there's nothing more essential for success in America. Can ya read? Can ya add/subtract/multiply/divide? Great. You can get any advanced degree you want. And the discipline of Catholic education will stand you in good stead, not just as you continue your studies, but also for the rest of your life, no matter what you think of the Catholic "mythology" we all had to learn.<br /><br />Such a great cast, such a lousy, rotten script. I really feel bad (and no, it's not "badly" -- trust me, the nuns taught me better) for the writer and director.<br /><br />I thought I had mixed emotions about Catholic school. But the participants in this project must've been those bad (ie.e, stupid) kids who sat in the back of the room, if they were willingly involved in making this movie.