Doubt (I) (2008)

A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled 12-year-old student.

Director:

John Patrick Shanley

Writers:

John Patrick Shanley (screenplay), John Patrick Shanley (play)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Father Brendan Flynn
Amy Adams	...	Sister James
Viola Davis	...	Mrs. Miller
Alice Drummond	...	Sister Veronica
Audrie Neenan	...	Sister Raymond
Susan Blommaert	...	Mrs. Carson
Carrie Preston	...	Christine Hurley
John Costelloe	...	Warren Hurley
Lloyd Clay Brown	...	Jimmy Hurley
Joseph Foster	...	Donald Miller (as Joseph Foster II)
Mike Roukis	...	William London
Haklar Dezso	...	Zither Player
Frank Shanley	...	Kevin
Robert Ridgell	...	Organist

Storyline

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

school | priest | student | nun | boy | 

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Taglines:

There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

La duda

Filming Locations:

Beach and Mansion Streets, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£253,097 (UK) (6 February 2009)

Gross:

$33,422,556 (USA) (3 April 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goodspeed Productions, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When filming was over, director John Patrick Shanley sent Amy Adams the Nativity Scene that Sister Veronica puts together near the end of the film as a gift.

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Goofs

Sister Aloyisius confronts a student about earphones in class. Stereo earbuds didn't exist in 1964, but the monaural version she confiscates did (they were also used in hearing aids).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Christine Hurley: Jimmy? Come on! You're serving today.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Amy Adams/Rocket City Rednecks/Miranda Lambert (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Silent Night"
Arranged by Alan Ett, Scott Liggett
Courtesy of Opus 1 Music

User Reviews

Thrilling, thoughtful, intriguing. One of the best films of 2008

Doubt {dir. John Patrick Shanley} (****/****)

Although it includes some heavy themes, Doubt, is one of the most entertaining and involving films to come along in quite sometime. Rarely have my heart and mind been so engaged in a film simultaneously. At its heart, Doubt remains the stage play upon which it is based, about a priest who is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a young boy. The priest is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and the nun investigating (Sister Aloysius, great name) the situation is played by Meryl Streep, the best living actress and the best actress of the year. The language used in the film treats the situation very carefully and the confrontations between the characters crackle with well- written intensity. The film's central theme is indeed the title: Doubt. As an audience, we are left to our own devices in judging Father Flynn's relationship to the young boy. This uncertainty is a rare and valuable thing in film today. Great performances, wonderful writing and tough themes.