Doubt (2008)

Doubt, a film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize Winning Play : Doubt: A Parable. This movie gathers one of the most talented and best casts, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The four leads have each garnered an Oscar nomination this 2009 and Doubt for best adapted screenplay as well.

The year is 1964. Set at a Catholic school in the Bronx, St. Nicholas school is headed by a hard-edge, strict nun - Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). She grows suspicious of a priest about Father Flynn's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) relationship with the only African-American student - Donald Miller in the school. Therefore, she confronts him with the mindset that he might be abusing the child. A battle begins, and Sister James (Amy Adams) who starts the ball rolling, revealing her suspicion to Sr. Aloysius is caught in between her superiors, Sr. Aloysius who is determined that Father Flynn is guilty, while Father Flynn claims he is innocent.

This powerful film is gripping and riveting, it makes you focus and concentrate on it after the Sr. James saw Father Flynn putting Donald's undershirt into his locker. As the plot is thick with intrigue and possibilities, it might just make you sit at the edge of your seat pondering, is Father Flynn really innocent? What's more, it is deliciously set in a religious school. Therefore, several conflicts surfaces.

Doubt, the film touches on several aspects.

1. Abuse. It might be sexual abuse, as of Sr. Aloysius's indications and accuses. and domestic violence, as Donald Miller is disliked by his father who often beats him.
2. The power play of men and women in cloth, in a parish, where priests and pastors are superiors to the nuns.
3. The unconditional love of a mother, Mrs Miller (Viola Davis) who accepts that her son might be homosexual.
4. and of course, it tackles the danger when a seed of suspicion germinates in a closed mind.
5. racism perhaps. Donald Miller has no friends in school, as the parish serves mostly Irish and Italian, but fortunately nobody has ever beaten him.

The film focuses on small details, because sometimes you could see the camera zooming in to some things that might arouse the curiosity of the audiences, and might even be significant to the story (as in whether Father Flynn did it or not). the movie is indeed quite complex.

Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius.
One word, amazing! and nothing more to describe. she has to adopt that New York accent. very intimidating and fierce throughout the whole movie, but there is still compassion in her, as in how she treats her fellow nuns, and is also concerned about the school. Her character is not fond of changes, like how she reacted when Father Flynn suggests to upend the school's strict ways and to become friendlier to the students, somehow to be a part of their family. She is however, one-sided, very determined in taking down Father Flynn, partly because she dislikes him too. Lastly, she has doubts in her faith as she lied that she had contacted a nun from Father's Flynn previous parish, so to force him into resigning.

"In the pursuit of wrongdoing, one steps away from God."

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn.
Great performance! A charismatic and compassionate priest, taking a little interest in Donal Miller, a friendly gesture you might say, yes, but who knows? somehow, he makes me feel he is guilty, because from what i saw through the intense confrontation battle between him and Sr. Aloysius, he was quite terrified when she said she had contacted a nun from his previous parish, his eyes full of fear. and he asked Sr. Aloysius, "have you ever done wrong?" that was the moment he wavered, and i thought he was about to confessed, but he didn't. In the end, he resigned as he is unable to stand up to her willingness to destroy his character.

" There are people who go after your humanity, Sister James. To tell you that the light in your heart is a weakness. Don't believe it. It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. "

Amy Adams as Sister James.
She plays an idealistic, young and naive nun, who tries to see the good in everybody. Isn't it like her role in Enchanted? No! this has a completely different approach. I believe that Sister James is a very difficult character to play, and Amy Adams is just in top form as ever. She might be innocent, but looking in her blue-green eyes, even when she says nothing at all, you can sense the deepness, the strength that she has. She is the perfect emotional balance between Father Flynn and Sr. Aloysius. IMO, without her, the film wouldn't be quite watchable. Facing two big powerhouses, Amy Adams just stands her own, without being overshadowed by them. She wants the school to be in order just like Sr. Aloysius, but she has that compassion and accepts new changes similar to Father Flynn. Her short emotional outbursts were one of the movie's finest moments, look in her eyes, and that well placed crack in her voice when she confronted Sr. Aloysius for the very 1st time. Her character then took a change, snapping at her students, and she is saddened by it, and i was actually quite terrified when she got all angry! =.=" Wonderfully nuanced her performance is. Brilliant.

Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller.
She has 12 minutes in the whole movie, and it's with Meryl Streep, and yes, she manages to pull if off, amazingly! Very emotional scene, as she defends her boy, Donald Miller, and accepts that he might be homosexual, to the horror of Sr. Aloysius. It is not surprising when she wins the Oscar tomorrow even with such short screen time.

All in all, Doubt doesn't leave a clear answer, that's why it's called Doubt (duh!). It leaves a discussion for the audiences to talk about, from the small details to that confrontation to Father Flynn's resignment. It is thick with paranoia in Doubt, but it is even more juicy and sustaining watching 4 superb actors lashing it out on screen.

Also one of the best films in 2008. Watch it if you like it.