Directed by:
John Patrick ShanleyCinematography:
Roger DeakinsComposer:
Howard ShoreCast:
Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Alice Drummond, Carrie Preston, Lloyd Clay Brown, Paulie Litt, George Aloi, James P. Anderson (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
Even though I didn't want to believe it, this is an incredibly powerful film where all three main actors truly deserve top marks. Meryl is an incredibly depressing character, almost inhuman. I generally appreciate the perspective on faith and its fanaticism, which can manifest deeply in some people. It's no longer about faith at that point; it's just about wielding power and using faith as a weapon to gain control. It’s scary. This is a beautiful example of how every church is just a breeding ground for lunatics.
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Interesting topic, excellent actors, but as whole it can't sustain a heartbeat. What good to me are the amazing Amy Adams and the charismatic Philip Seymour Hoffman if the entire premise of their actions can fit into ten minutes? Instead, I'm watching an hour and a half of stretched-out acting exhibitionism, pushed to the most absurd maximum. Occasionally, a little editing or hinting would have been enough, but no – the routine direction drags the film to an ending that ultimately undermines the whole story. It's precisely because the entire dramatic arc is a smaller deception for the audience that I have to rate it this low.
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An intimate psychological drama depicting an uncompromising clash between a bigoted nun who seems to be stuck in the 19th century and a priest who acknowledges both the demands of the modern era for new ideas and methods and the fact that love for God should not be an obstacle to human relationships. The dispute is not only about the methods of pedagogical influence at the local church school and the interpretation of religious values but gradually evolves into deep personal antipathy by the nun, who begins to suspect that the priest's interest in one of her charges may not be as innocent as those around them think. Those who have no doubts can be more convincing, and therefore more successful, but some victories are Pyrrhic... The film's strength lies in its position, which leaves the viewer uncertain until the end - in other words, in doubt about what actually happened, as well as the emotionally powerful conflict between two distinct personalities, successful dialogue, and above all, exceptional acting by two major stars of contemporary American cinema. Overall impression: 90%.
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I don’t know. From a Pulitzer winning story, I would have expected more than just a church song with weirdly glued-together motivations, mostly held together by the exceptional actors. The dialogues are fairly decent and the titular message works pretty intensively within a strongly unspoken and interpretively open framework, but they are nothing but shallow gimmicks of a good writer who doesn’t know how to work in the film medium or how to lead the attention of the audience. Something like this should be a lot stronger and less artificial. 60%
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Well, I really wasn’t expecting this. It’s almost unbelievable how fittingly the name Doubt describes the film. There’s not a single moment when the viewer can be certain on whose side the truth is, or who has the purer or more noble motives, etc. This would have been impossible without a great script and dialogues, which I would appoint as king of all dialogues :-D… I really can’t remember when was the last time I swallowed like this every word uttered by the characters in a film. Praising the performances would be redundant, and I reckon this year the members of the Academy will have a very hard job. Just one more thing before closing, I wouldn’t have believed it before watching it, but I’ve just found “my” drama of the year 2008.
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