Review: Doubt (2008)

Doubt (2008)

3.5

DRAMA
U.S. Release Date: 12/10/08
Running Length: 104 Minutes
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Mature Themes)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley, based on his play
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Music: Howard Shore
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films

Review by: Carter Moulton

1/10/09

John Patrick Shanley wrote, adapted, and directed Doubt. Originally a play, the film is Shanley’s second directorial effort (he previously directed Joe Verses The Volcano), and he makes some poor decisions behind the camera. Luckily, the story is so first-rate and the performances are so good that I was more than willing to allow for some distracting direction. Delicately balancing mood and conversation, the film paints a thick fog of paranoia that is simply haunting. Doubt features Oscar-worthy performances from Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis.

The story takes place in 1964 at St. Nicholas Parish in the Bronx. A new priest, Father Flynn (Hoffman), has arrived, and along with him: his progressive ideas about new-age Catholicism. These ideals don’t sit well with the head-nun (and principal), Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep). Sister Beauvier practices strict traditional customs and runs the school with two iron fists. Sister James (Amy Adams) is a young and innocent nun whose opinion is easily swayed. She teaches history to the eighth grade class. One of her students, Donald Miller, is called down to Father Flynn's office. He returns in a peculiar manner and has the scent of alcohol on his breath. Hearing this information from Sister James, Sister Beauvier sets out on a moral mission to uncover the truth about Father Flynn.

Is it really about the boy for Sister Beauvier; or is it about preserving the conventional order that Father Flynn intends to shatter? Is Father Flynn the compassionate and loving priest he claims to be? Did he molest the boy? What’s up his fingernails? We’re left guessing, and boy, is it exhilarating. The film keeps us at a distance, never delving too far into Father Flynn’s guilt, and never convincing us of Sister Beauvier’s certitude. The cleverness in Shanley’s story is that it offers so many accusations and so few facts. It’s a work of brilliance to create something this enjoyably manipulative. Doubt taps into the haziness human morality, resulting in an eerie frame of mind that no horror film could create.

Streep’s performance as the tight-faced nun is award-worthy. So too is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s. Amy Adams is charming, as always, and Viola Davis’s performance, although she’s only in one scene as Donald’s mother, threatens to steal the film entirely. Shanley’s direction is the only thing that slows the machine down. At times he tries to hard by forcing awkward canted angles and fades. More importantly, the real danger is when he doesn’t do enough, leaving moments feeling...well...theatrical. Luckily, his script is sharp, and his performers are talented. I’m usually a skeptic when it comes to concept films that try to control, but Doubt frightened me by exposing the secrecy and corruption within all of us.