Doubt (2008/I)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

John Patrick Shanley

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Nun | Student | 1964 | Catholic

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Father Brendan Flynn
Amy Adams	...	Sister James
Viola Davis	...	Mrs. Miller
Alice Drummond	...	Sister Veronica
Audrie J. Neenan	...	Sister Raymond (as Audrie Neenan)
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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #39360) | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Canada:G (British Columbia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Spain:13 | South Africa:13LS | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:AL | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Czech Republic:12 | Sweden:7 | Mexico:B | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

College of Mount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Goodspeed Productions

Trivia:

The movie was dedicated to Sister Margaret McEntee, formally known as Sister James, John Patrick Shanley's first grade teacher.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the final scene Sister James has walked up to the seated Sister Aloysius yet, when the camera zooms out at the very end, we see no footprints in the snow on the sidewalk. (This is because the snow effect was added in post production.)

Quotes:

Father Flynn: Where is your compassion?
Sister Aloysius: Nowhere you can get at it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

Free to interpretation of each who sits down to observe.

Doubt, as it is most commonly known in its many manifestations and forms, is often antagonised as a weakness, or a fault in virtue. Yet, somewhat dubiously overlooked is its antithetic counterpart who comes in the form of belief, faith, conviction, or unwavering assertion. Indeed, how far will a person tread down a road guided only by their intuition and trust in faith alone? These questions which in turn reflect and pave way for many of Doubt's most potent and engaging moments of narrative, are of course brought up in the course of the adapted play's screenplay, but they are not answered—at least, not directly.

In fact, rather ironically, doubt is a feature that places the pieces of the moral puzzle in question upright onto the table, and then leaves them there; dangling and free to interpretation of each who sits down to observe. This somewhat open-ended, vague and subjective form of cinematic expression is something that is rarely seen outside of art houses and the most daring of film-makers palettes. And yet director/writer and playwright John Patrick Shanley implements the risky move here with ease and grace. Yet the real flavour, despite having plenty of potency within these realms, lies outside of debating, suspicions and tests of virtue—first and foremost, doubt is a study of human characters, and how they can often clash as a result of their diversities in opinions and temperaments.

The majority of Doubt's story then is central to three catalysts for the script's themes to manifest and evolve. These three personas come in the form of a reserved, progressively adapted priest by the name of Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman); a young, bright-eyed newcomer nun named Sister James (Amy Adams); and a stern, assertive and conniving traditionalist nun named Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep). While it would be of no fault of anyone to assume that the themes I have mentioned thus far have everything and all to do with the question of religious faith only, this tangent however relevant and vital to the backdrop of the story, nevertheless serves as just that—a backdrop. Instead Doubt takes its intellectual conflict between heart and reason in the form of a cloudy event involving father Flynn and a young alter-boy who takes a certain liking to the father-like-figure of the priest. After hearing a notably unsure and reserved report from Sister James, Sister Beauvier asserts that she knows what is going on with Flynn, and that she's going to set everything straight.

But what then, is her evidence? Not much. In fact, aside from word of mouth (gossip, you could decree) from a young, naïve woman not sure even of her own words, Beauvier has nothing but her suspicion and conviction to go on. From here on in then, it is the sole intent of the director to address the themes of doubt itself, and its oppressor, being the Absolute Truth, or so it is perceived by those who take heed of its obvious presence. How Shanley delivers his story is nothing short of engrossing however; the whole structure of the play sees characters sway from one end of the moral spectrum to the other—indeed, it's startling as a viewer to find such palpitating changes of heart regarding characters.

Sure enough, the whole affair comes across as overtly manipulative because of the amount of ambiguity and twists and turns that Shanley throws out there, but taken in context of the movie's themes of mistrust, unfaltering conviction and the inability for compassionate re-evaluation, Doubt reflects its ideas in the head of its viewer without blatantly pointing out such shifts; the emotional tugs are indeed obvious, but the strings pulling them, are not.

Yet for all intents and purposes, Doubt exists as a fine testament not only to Shanley's ability as a film-maker, but also his ability to direct his cast, and to allow them to envelop the characters from within his emotionally contorted monster. Taking forefront for obvious reasons here are both Hoffman and Streep who deliver performances just as convincing and engaging as their characters are written. Hoffman himself has seen a vast array of roles (specifically from 2008) which have made him a figure to watch from here on in, but Streep, despite her accolades from previous years, has found herself in some lacklustre roles as of late. Doubt then, with its rich, multi-dimensional characters and interpersonal relations, finds Streep back at home, embodying her persona with vigour and a conviction that always finds the audience clamouring at her feet, but not at the expense of maintaining their attention.

It's a somewhat humble, unassuming feature as a whole that will be easily misinterpreted by a few, but only a few. Instead, those looking for intelligent, layered and tangible character drama laced with plenty of thematic conjecture will find much to enjoy here. Of course, there is every reason to believe that the feature's lack of resolution or clear, objective stances will disgruntle those dimmed into expectations of cathartic, solidified resolves—but this in turn is the point of Doubt. Not only does it offer up food for thought, intrigue the heart and question the nature of our own convictions we may hold dear, but it also echoes those themes through its unavoidably ambiguous and unknowing nature.

One thing that certainly is clear here however, is that Doubt exists as a complex, significant feature, brimming with subdued, nuanced life and important statements beyond which most cinematic fare avoids in favour of comfortable, solidified answers; it's a bold statement, and an endlessly intriguing and engrossing one at that.

- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)