Doubt (2008)

You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for the memories!

A Major Disappointment

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

As far as I understand, this film is mainly about the fact that it is our human weaknesses that make us human. And in the end the character Meryl Streep - Sister Aloysius - "grows" from the standard, the embodiment of righteousness and rightness, the only true measure of absolute good and absolute evil into something "living", not ideal, not absolutely true, something doubting. But I enclosed the word "grows" in quotes not accidentally. After all, an open ending actually kills this idea. I can't say that I liked the movie. All the main characters are the classic of the stamp. Padre - of course, all such a caring, sensitive uncle, over-taking care of boys. And the most important circumstance that causes suspicion is long clean nails. Exactly these circumstances can't but undermine the confidence in his Holiness. The next classic hero is a conservative guardian of the rules; she is a strict teacher; she's Meryl Streep. Well, necessarily in every story there is a wicked witch, and everyone obeys her unquestioningly and terribly afraid of her. In contrast, there must be its complete opposite. This is a quiet, meek, naive sister, James, who faithfully believes in everything. Just an angel who descended from heaven. What we have is a suspicion of Flynn's father who drags the whole film without any hint of truth or lies. This work is more suitable for the stage, for the theater with its pathos, with lively emotions, with an element of participation. Moving his own play to the screen, the director turned the characters into walking dolls, stuffed with clichés and stamps. Instead of speaking openly and without subterfuge, the pastor and sister, speaking in a language of virtue that is incomprehensible to modern man. The result. The answer to the question whether or not to look depends on what you are looking for in the film. Someone will just fall asleep, and someone will be delighted, as, indeed, always happens.

The performances of the cast in this film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play make you doubt a lot of things, except their brilliance. With this year's somewhat disappointing Oscars this 2008 film was like a breath of fresh air. The film explores a really relevant issue of the Catholic Church and pedophilia. The story takes plays in the 60's American Catholic School where a priest is accused by a school principal of corrupting an African-American altar boy. Unfortunately, "Doubt" didn't get as much attention as more recent "Spotlight" (no pun intended) and stayed underappreciated to some extent. I guess one of the reasons is "Doubt" not being as shocking and revealing as "Spotlight". However, this film grabs your attention right from the first speech by Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Brendan Flynn) to the last words of Meryl Streep's character (Sister Aloysius Beauvier) and keeps you thinking and doubting. Father Flynn's thought-provoking metaphorical speeches play a big part in the film and show his perspective on things. Actually, there is quite a lot of metaphors in this movie: a cat catching a mouse (Flynn and Beauvier) and weather slowly changing from quite calm to a raging storm are some of the attention-worthy. Regarding cinematography they've made a safe choice by mostly using a very popular nowadays teal and orange color grading. Though using of diagonal shots to emphasize some of the highly emotional moments was an interesting creative decision. But the strongest part of the film is its actors: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and incredible Viola Davis. They were outstanding and mesmerising in their roles. It was a pleasure to watch them not perform, but actually live on screen. It's a pity that none of them got an Oscar. Especially Viola Davis for her short, yet powerful performance. To sum it up, "Doubt" is a remarkable film with interesting and diverse characters played by talented actors, which would make you question your own decisions and think about its consequences. I can guarantee that you won't regret watching this film.

I'm not a drama-lover, hardly any drama movie I managed to watch more that 20 minutes without falling asleep. This movie definitely won't let you take your eyes off the screen. The tension that's created by uncertainty and ambiguity of events holds your attention during the entire movie. The cast is absolutely well chosen, including one of the best actresses of all times Meryl Streep. It's exciting the way your opinion changes like a roller-coaster every time new facts of the story are revealed. The movie leaves you with a heavy heart after it's over and makes you reconsider many issues. If you doubt whether it's worth watching, at least this is a good reason to make a choice in favour of a thought-provoking-movie that's gonna probably change your whole perception of justice and guilt. I would insist that this movie must be watched by people responsible for making decisions relating to other people. Accusation must have a valuable, facts-supported basis, but sometimes your intuition and inner belief overpowers. What would you stick to?

'Doubt' is a gripping psychological drama with incomparable Meryl Streep and brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman in the leads. The film is directed by John Patrick Shanley and based on his own Pulitzer-Prize winning stage play of the same name. Before watching the film you may be attracted by the film poster with a cross (a symbol of faith) and the word 'doubt' depicting on it, what immediately hooks you due to combining two mutually exclusive concepts. Actually the whole film is based on opposition and proves how controversial can be issues of Good and Evil looked at from different perspectives. It is natural for humans to doubt. It is a result of their capability of speculation and their innate desire to find the truth. However, there are cases when not everyone is "allowed" to doubt due to some personal moral convictions or some restrictions from outside. That's what happens to the main character of the picture, the head nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), who dares to call in question righteousness of the priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) suspecting him of sexual relationship with one of the students of the Catholic school. Her suspicion is neither confirmed for the lack of evidence, nor refuted, but the seed of doubt is already implanted in our minds as well as in the mind of a younger nun, Sister James, wonderfully portrayed by graceful Amy Adams. She observes this opposition between "the prosecutor" and "the accused" and with childish naivety tries to find absolute truth, which is non-existent in the context of the film. Particular attention should be given to excellent acting of Meryl Streep, who perfectly suits the role of a self-possessed principal, running the school in an imperious and domineering manner. Her conservatism seems to be on the verge of absurdity, from prohibition on ballpoint pens and candies to total control of the students (episode with the portrait on the blackboard). So, in comparison with Father Flynn, whose appearance is as "sweet" as his tea and whose deeds and speech are always alarmingly good, Sister Aloysius looks like a true oppressor. However, such an image of her somehow fades as the film progressed. It is she who takes care of her whole nuns' community in the male-dominated environment. Those touchy moments, when she displays particular concern for the elderly Sister Veronica who is going blind, just testify that she is a perfect leader: tough but considerate. A true venerator of traditions Sister Aloysius has a genuine fear of changes, which are brought to Bronx Catholic School with the wind of 1964. Her remark about the weather 'the world is crashing' becomes pivotal for the whole film and even more crucial for herself. In attempts to stop liberalism that starts shifting firm conservative views, the head nun crosses swords with the priest, considering him a disseminator of destructive liberal views. But in the end, ironically, she finds herself doubting her own longstanding believes, realizing that values of the modern world are no longer the same, and that something, once used to be totally unacceptable, today is quite adequate. No doubt, the film is worth seeing! Brilliant performance of all leads alongside with the riveting plot will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.