Review: Doubt

Doubt

OPENING: 12/12/2008

STUDIO: Miramax

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play.

Opening Statement
Directed by John Patrick Shanley, who also wrote the stage play of the same name, Doubt is superbly acted and generally well-crafted, and I imagine most viewers will be able to admire it on some level. However, it will resonate most with viewers who have some sort of religious background. While some critics have mistaken the film for a simple whodunit or a study of child abuse within the Catholic church, it is neither. Doubt is a meditation on its own title, not only within the circumstance presented, but within religion as a whole.


Facts of the Case
The year is 1963, and there is a wind of change in the air. The ground is beginning to shift on a cultural level, and some are beginning to encourage similar change within the Catholic church. One such person is Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote), pastor of the St. Nicholas church and private school in New York. Father Flynn believes both the church and the school should be a little warmer and more encouraging. Why not relax the standards on popular music a little bit, or do something fun every once in a while? Father Flynn’s modern views are adamantly opposed by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County), a very conservative nun feared by all the children attending St. Nicholas school.

The country is just beginning to implement integration, and St. Nicholas now has one single African-American student. His name is Donald Miller (Joseph Foster, 12 and Holding), and he’s a shy, sweet-natured young man. He is not picked on by the students at the school, but has had trouble making friends. Father Flynn takes an interest in Donald, determined to befriend the boy and keep an eye out for him. One day, Father Flynn calls Donald to the rectory for a private meeting. Sister James (Amy Adams, Enchanted), one of the teachers, is a little concerned by this. She mentions the event to Sister Aloysius, who responds with surprising fury. Very quickly, Sister Aloysius becomes convinced that Father Flynn is guilty of engaging in rather inappropriate behavior. However, she has no proof. She only has, as she says, her “certainty.” Father Flynn protests when he hears of this, and insists he is completely innocent of wrongdoing. There is reason to believe… and doubt… both individuals. Which one is telling the truth?

The Evidence
As someone who was raised in a rather conservative religious family, I have experienced my fair share of doubt and uncertainty over the years. One is brought up to believe very specific things, but sooner or later, many people reach a point where they must find difficult answers to difficult questions. There are many aspects of religion… any religion… that simply cannot be dealt with from a purely logical point of view. One either has to accept a certain idea, reject it, or sit eternally on the fence for fear of joining the wrong team. As various people present persuasive evidence for both sides of the argument, the questions seem to grow bigger and more complex, the deeper you dig. Doubt doesn’t deal with such questions directly, as there are simply too many to be dealt with over the course of a single film. However, it uniquely captures the complex torment of such questions by placing them within the context of this story of a man who may or may not be guilty of something horrible. By placing the story within a church setting, and by making the central character a priest, the film leaves absolutely no doubt as to the spiritual issues being pondered.

Some have criticized the film for being purposefully vague about what actually happened. I think the unanswered questions are absolutely essential to the success of the film. Answer those questions and you have just another well-made mystery. Here, we get something so much more. It wouldn’t have been possible without the fine performances of Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who add surprising nuances from start to finish. Both actors are giving their very best here, and fortunately both are perfectly capable of standing their own against each other. The two receive a solid supporting turn from Amy Adams, and a remarkable single scene with Viola Davis as Donald’s mother.

Closing Statement
With the film concluded, have I taken a side? Well, I did so several times as I was watching. More often than not, I was inclined to believe whichever party happened to making their case at the time. Now, I don’t know. For a moment, I thought I knew which one I would have sided with… and then, yes, I began to have doubts. For some, Doubt will be nothing more than a frustrating exercise in payoff-free storytelling. For others, it will be an immensely gripping reflection of the sort of challenging existential and spiritual questions we must find nearly impossible answers for. Personally, Doubt is one of the year’s finest films, one I have a feeling I will be returning to with some regularity.


The Verdict
10/10

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