| Mystifying, somber, and perfectly reflecting its title, John Patrick Shanley’s film Doubt is a compelling exploration of the strength of uncertainty and how it affects the order of a small, unassuming community.
As the authoritarian principle of St Nicholas, a school in New York’s Bronx borough, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) keeps a firm hand and sharp eye on her students. Her strict order is challenged by new, charismatic priest Father Brendan Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who believes in the need for change and openness to the community.
It’s 1964 and St Nicholas has just accepted its first African American student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), over whom Father Flynn has decided to take paternal care. However, Donald’s teacher Sister James (Amy Adams), shares her suspicions with Sister Aloysius that there is something improper about the relationship.
Without any proof, and armed only with her sense of moral certainty, Aloysius decides to confront Father Flynn herself and uncover the truth behind the events that have taken place.
Directed and written for the screen by John Patrick Shanley, the film is an adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt: A Parable. Here, as director, Shanley captures the calmness and regularity of the small Catholic school and its neighborhood, as well as the mistrust and suspicion that threatens to overturn it.
Centering on the benevolence of the Sisters of Charity and their work, the script carefully explores such delicate issues as child abuse and racism. Though the film’s pace is protected at times, powerful dialogue and stunning performances ensure its success.
Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are outstanding as the school’s overseers, driving the film’s conflict. Viola Adams, Donald’s mother, also gives an intensely raw, emotional performance. Ultimately, the film will leave viewers questioning their certainties about the characters’ identities and motivations.
Though the photography is largely plain, an abundance of metaphor fills each scene with hidden meaning. The poignant and slightly somber musical score, composed and conducted by Howard Shore, brings to life the school’s austere, quiet corridors.
The film is deliberately and delightfully ambiguous, leaving as many questions as the doors it opens into a small, insular world.
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