Few films this year will leave audiences questioning their faith not only in their religious beliefs but in themselves like John Patrick Shanley’s DOUBT. Based on his own play (of which he also wrote the screenplay and directed) DOUBT tells the story of Sister Aloysius Beavier (Meryl Streep) who goes on a one-woman crusade to expose Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of sexual misconduct against the only African American student in their little parochial school. It is Sister James (Amy Adams), who after witnessing some questionable behavior of Father Flynn, starts Sister Beavier on her quest.
Things get more complicated when Sister James starts to side with Father Flynn believing that Sister Beavier is afraid of change and the progressive nature of Father Flynn’s methods. On the other hand Sister Beavier has had previous experience dealing with Father Flynn’s “kind” and will not let him get away with his atrocities. It becomes a cat & mouse game between Sister Beavier & Father Flynn over who is right and who is wrong and who will survive the fallout.
Shanley’s film works because you never know who is telling the truth and who to believe and all the characters are conflicted and have doubt about the events happening around them. Streep is perfect as Sister Beavier, a women so determined to be right that in any other actor’s hands might come off as 2-dimenional but in her hands is conflicted even when we want to believe that she is always right. The same can be said of Hoffman who in his arrogance believes that Sister Beavier’s beliefs are medieval and that he is helping the church move into a more progressive era no mater the consequences.
DOUBT is truly one of the can’t miss films of the year with great performances and a great cinematic story from start to finish. It’s also a film that whether you are religious or not the film is more about one’s moral conflicts & dilemmas then religious ones making it a universal film.
Things get more complicated when Sister James starts to side with Father Flynn believing that Sister Beavier is afraid of change and the progressive nature of Father Flynn’s methods. On the other hand Sister Beavier has had previous experience dealing with Father Flynn’s “kind” and will not let him get away with his atrocities. It becomes a cat & mouse game between Sister Beavier & Father Flynn over who is right and who is wrong and who will survive the fallout.
Shanley’s film works because you never know who is telling the truth and who to believe and all the characters are conflicted and have doubt about the events happening around them. Streep is perfect as Sister Beavier, a women so determined to be right that in any other actor’s hands might come off as 2-dimenional but in her hands is conflicted even when we want to believe that she is always right. The same can be said of Hoffman who in his arrogance believes that Sister Beavier’s beliefs are medieval and that he is helping the church move into a more progressive era no mater the consequences.
DOUBT is truly one of the can’t miss films of the year with great performances and a great cinematic story from start to finish. It’s also a film that whether you are religious or not the film is more about one’s moral conflicts & dilemmas then religious ones making it a universal film.
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