"Doubt" is about a strict traditionalist nun Sr. Aloysius who is a terror principal of a Catholic School. She frowns upon modernities like ballpoint pens and secular Christmas carols. She suspects improprieties regarding their progressive younger parish priest Fr. Flynn. When one of her teachers Sr. James tells her about a suspicious incident involving Fr. Flynn and the school's first African-American student Donald Miller, Sr. Aloysius uses this to launch her virulent attack against the priest.
"Doubt" is truly an acting vehicle. When it played on Broadway in 2005, the actors who played Sr. Aloysius, Fr. Flynn, Sr. James and Mrs. Miller all got nominated for Tony Awards. When playwright John Patrick Shanley reincarnates his script for film, he decides to direct it himself. Now, as then, all four actors who played these rich characters are again nominated for Oscars.
Playing the imperious Sr. Aloysius is none other than Meryl Streep. Her attack on the role is a bit theatrical, but it is really masterful, like no other actress can do it (without sinking into caricature). Each of her one-on-one scenes with Amy Adams (Sr. James), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Fr. Flynn) and Viola Davis (Mrs. Miller) is an acting highlight which also brings out the best in the other actor. All of these actors fully deserve their nominations given their very realistic portrayal of these difficult and complex roles.
*************spoiler alert
When you watch this film, you fully appreciate its theater origins. It is driven by very strong and incisive dialogue alone. Despite the fact that this film is all talk, with no real action, I liked it very much. I like that it is thought provoking. I like that the ending did not really tell the audience what really happened. Fr. Flynn did not categorically say if he is guilty or not. Sister Aloysius did not really say what she was doubting at the end. It is all for us to decide for ourselves.
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