Doubt (2008)

John Patrick Shanley turned his own play into a movie, directed said movie, and called it all Doubt. Stemming from its stage background, the film is anchored by its words. Sets, costumes, even music fade into the background while you watch a story unfold in a 1964 Catholic school in the Bronx.

Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is trying to bring some modernity to the school and its church but diametrically opposed to him is the school's strong-willed principal, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep making up for being in Mama Mia). The tensions are further enflamed when history teacher Sister James (the ever-innocent Amy Adams) expresses concern over the special interest Father Flynn has taken in her student, Donald, who also happens to be the school's first African American student. Sister Aloysius immediately commits herself to discovering the truth of this relationship and comes to believe the worst.

Shanley only discussed with Hoffman whether Flynn was guilty of anything. It's a thoughtful directorial move that keeps the rest of the cast tethered to the audience, who knows just as much as they do. The story is all about its title concept and more. It's about what people do with the information they have. It's about how little they can control the world around them. It's about innocence and believing what we need to believe. Though it's mostly channeled through the three main characters, Viola Davis appears briefly as Donald's mother and brings another perspective to the duel that comes across as heart-breaking slap in the face. It's refreshing to see a movie so well thought out that still lets you form your own ideas and make your own decision at the end.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for:Anyone who doesn't mind thinking and watching a movie at the same time