Doubt
Doubt stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams where the mere implication of wrong doing on the part of a priest can become a firm conviction.
Film making 18/25
Cinematography 19/25
Audio 18/25
Bonus Features 18/25
Total 73/100
Doubt is a great film about a priest who has doubt cast upon him by principal Sister Aloysius who instills fear in many of the students at the church school she runs. Priest Father Flynn is helping a loner student, Donald Miller, who is having a rough time many think because he is the first black student in the school.
When the Father confides in him that he was also picked on at a young age the boy reaches out to Father Flynn and is helped with confidence and understanding. Sister Aloysius sees this and assumes the Father is going beyond his boundaries as a priest and talks to her fellow Sisters, warning them to watch out for anything that may be amiss at the school and church.
When young Sister James confides in Sister Aloysius that she saw the father and boy going into the rectory together Sister Aloysius assumes the worst and confronts the father with her suspicions. Father Flynn tells her it is none of her business why he asked to see the boy and what they talked about.
Sister James also says the boy had been drinking wine and smelled of it when he returned to class after his visit with the Father. Sister Aloysius dismisses the boy from his duties as altar boy because he had been caught drinking the wine but she believes Father Flynn gave the wine to the boy.
The janitor of the school tells the father that he saw the boy sneaking wine and this is the assumed reason Father Flynn calls the boy into the rectory. Sister Aloysius accuses the father of giving the wine to the boy but never comes out in the film to say what she is really accusing the father of.
When Sister Aloysius talks to Donald’s mother she tells the Sister that the boy gets beat because he likes other boys and acts on his feelings, his father sees this as bad and punishes him. Much of the behind the scenes doubt is cast on Father Flynn by his being seen with the boy behind closed doors and that is all Sister Aloysius needs for her to act on her suspicions.
Sister Aloysius tells Father Flynn that she has contacted his previous posting and found out things about his past but he denies any wrongdoing and asks what she knows. When she refuses to enlighten him further she tells him to resign and he refuses only to get reassigned by his superiors.
Father Flynn is never shown to do anything wrong and Sister Aloysius lied about knowing something, the audience is never given proof but just suspicion in any wrong doing at all. Father Flynn could have been advising the boy and using his vows as a cover for not wanting any rumors about the boy to come out in the school.
Sister Aloysius tells Sister James that she lied and that Father Flynn would never have tried to cover for himself if he was innocent but he could have been protecting the boy like he should have. Doubt never shows whether the priest was ever doing anything wrong but there is always that lingering doubt about which is the actual truth and which may be jumping to the wrong conclusions.
Doubt does a great job to show the real life issues of pointing blame in our society and not having anything more than your belief to go on. Throughout the film Sister Aloysius never has any proof and just uses this as a reason to not like and accuse Father Flynn, finally having him removed from his position and assigned to a higher one not in a school.
While the film never says Father Flynn sexually molested the boy this is the entire premise of the film and it is rather striking that molestation is really never mentioned. Donald’s mother does mention that Donald likes boys and this is the reason why he has left public schools and the mother wants to just see him graduate so it will all be over for him.
The film dances around the subject and never comes outright and talks about child molestation by trusted role models of the community but it is always there right in front of the camera. Doubt shows how a mere hint of wrong doing can be enough for some to take matters into their own hands and go to an extreme to have the matter taken care of in some way.
Both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep give great performances in Doubt and show that even in the trappings of the Church these actors can give fine performances. Doubt is a really good film but does not rise above others to shoot for awards or more praise than an above average rating.
The Blu-ray edition contains a making of feature that shows the stage performance going to the big screen and a few other bonus features. Doubt Blu-ray also includes a feature commentary by writer director John Patrick Shanley and a look at The Sisters of Charity.
The bonus content of the Blu-ray edition is worth a look and adds to the entertainment value of Doubt which is a great film and worth the cost of the Blu-ray edition.