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DOUBT John Patrick Shanley Starring Meryl Streep Philip Seymour Hoffman Amy Adams On the surface, Doubt is a simple mystery centring on the possibility that a priest has been 'interfering' with one of the pupils at a Catholic school - but more than that it's a rich text analysing various subtle undertones (which I will go into a little later). Set in the Bronx 1964, a year after President Kennedy's assassination, a congregation largely comprised of Irish and Italian Americans listen to Father Flynn's [Hoffman] weekly sermon. As he preaches about doubt plaguing us all and explaining that it can be a unifying bond in the community, two nuns in particular listen on. The first is innocent, young (and to many extents, naive) Sister James [Adams] and the cruel principal, Sister Aloysius [Streep]; where James hears an enlightening tale, Aloysius finds the messages mixed and confused. Suspicious, and to some degree fearful of this new priest and his intentions within the school and the church, she informs the other nuns to be mindful of his actions. Sometime later Sister James begins to notice little things and pieces together an improper relationship between Father Flynn and the only African American schoolboy, Donald Miller [Joseph Foster]. When she informs Sister Aloysius, she jumps to various conclusions and begins a determined pursuit and conviction, with or without proof. The ending, however, is incredibly ambiguous and despite all the evidence on both sides, it is left for the audience to decide - one of those intellectual pieces that instantly sparks debate as people leave the cinema. The plot itself is simplistic and focused but its execution is heavy with subtext and subtle undertones, all designed to cast doubt in one's mind. We have Sister Aloysius' frustrations with a female's place in the church, the notions of personal boundaries and the proper care/affection shown for individuals in a parish or school, aspects of social interaction and bullying are dealt with on a student and adult level and the church's conflict between traditional values and modern ideals. Like the play, it has retained a great deal of the clever nods to many contributing factors that make this story a film-student's dream. However, there are distinct differences between the movie and the play; not so much in terms of story but the power and conveyance that cinema lacks - it's one thing to watch a powerful drama at the cinema, it's an entirely different experience when set on the stage; very little beats the tension of two thespian forces battling a war of words to a dumb-struck theatre. There are also directorial and editorial decisions that have been made to enforce the audience's rising uncertainty and although they add to the film as a whole, they slow down the fluidity of the conversational/argumentative interactions. I have a history with nuns. Growing up Irish Catholic in London, I would often find myself at my Grandmother's house only to see a living room full of nuns dressed in grey, drinking tea. After the nine hundredth, "Ah, Matthew, look how you've grown. Have you been good to your Granny?" in heavy Irish accents, you just become used to it. So much so that memories of my childhood can be summed up with various conversations starting with 'Good Morning Sister/Father' and ending 'Just use some Holy Water and you'll be grand.' I'm digressing here... what was I talking about? Oh yes; the American hard-nosed, bonnet-wearing, cane wielding nun of the sixties is long gone but Streep's portrayal does distinctly remind me of a few backward teachers I had in Pope Paul Primary School; not nuns but bloody fierce women who had little business being in the education system. With this in mind, I feel I can adequately judge the performances. Other than my slight quibble with the directorial choices, the quality of the acting and talent on display is the real selling point of this feature. I'm never overly impressed with Amy Adams and although she does a terrific job here I just didn't like her wet, soppy character (which, strangely enough is a compliment to her performance). Then we have Viola Davis as Donald's mother and once again, despite a gripping performance, I cannot understand why she has received an Oscar nomination for one scene (I'll go into this in greater detail in Episode 8 of my podcast). Then there was Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep who, of late, can do no wrong. In the end, this film is based on a theatrical piece and from the get-go I knew it would be good, not only because I had seen the play but when you get a playwright behind the camera you'll usually get performances out of cinematic actors that removes them from their medium and elevates them to the lofty heights of 'artists.' Release Date: 6th February 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: **Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers... in the form of opinions** As stated earlier, you could pick apart this film with a fine-tooth comb for all the little inclusions and subtle moments that point a finger at each character and demand the audience to take heed of this person, their actions and more importantly, their motives. In light of this, I would like to offer you my take on the ending. By the end of the film, audiences are meant to feel unsure and doubtful over whether the outcome was correct or what even happened. As the movie never openly shows us proof either way, we are forced to confront our own doubts, fears, preconceptions and judgements. It is my belief that Sister Aloysius fought Father Flynn out of a sense of personal dislike. I also believe that Sister James was willing to believe anyone as long as it allowed her to retain her naïve, innocent view of humanity. So that just leaves Flynn. Did he do it or not? In my opinion? No, I don't think so. I think he was a young priest with ideas about modernising the church and taking an active part in his community; which made him a target of gossip and scandal. He was as equally strict as he was kind but did he molest Miller; I doubt it. But that's the sheer beauty of this film, it sets off such topical debate and discussion because you could firmly argue that he did or did not do it or whether Sister Aloysius was right or wrong to have him removed from the school; it's beautiful! You'll have to forgive my zealousness, critics have to wait decades for these kinds of films. Notable Characters: Bit of a punch-up between Streep and Hoffman but if I was forced to decide, I would say Hoffman's performance carried more. But that is a win by the skin of his teeth. Both characters are portrayed with such a deep, resonating sense of righteousness that the audience becomes divided and goes back-and-forth, unable to settle with any certainty. Highlighted Quote: "When you take a step to address wrongdoing, you are taking a step away from God, but in his service" In A Few Words: "Tackling controversy, personal boundaries, adolescent homosexuality, feminism, modernism, school life and the church, Doubt asks a lot of questions and gives anything but easy answers" Total Score: 
9/10Matthew Stogdon |
