One of the year's best. No doubt about it.

“Doubt”

I’ve never attended a Catholic school or church so I’m not sure how close to reality “Doubt” is. I did follow the huge sex scandal many years back and it did disgust me that this was going on. Before sitting down and watching the film, I was curious how this subject could be turned into a PG-13 film. What director John Patrick Shanley shows is not brutal or graphic visually, but rather mentally.
The film is set in the Bronx in 1964. It revolves around the private Catholic school St. Nicholas. Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius Beauvier, a nun who you would never want to meet or work with. She is tough, strict and downright cold. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Brendan Flynn, a priest who loves his job and everyone around him.
When Sister James (Amy Adams) has a strange suspicion that Father Flynn is having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Miller, the only African American student at the school, she reports it to Sister Beauvier.
Sister Beauvier suspected something was up and was hoping Sister James would never have to report it. Now with the suspicion arising, Sister Beauvier is determined to get to the bottom of things.
Father Flynn finds out that Sister Beauvier suspects something. However, he says nothing inappropriate has occurred between him and Donald.
Is he telling the truth or is he hiding something?
Meryl Streep ignites the screen as Sister Beauvier. She doesn’t take no for an answer from anybody. She is a hard ass, by the book, tough as nails nun who one may never want to encounter.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is compelling as Father Flynn. He fills his character with so much power and emotion that the viewer feels sorry for him yet no one is sure what is real and what is not until the film’s final moments.
One actress who has a small role stands out as possibly the best performance of the entire film. Viola Davis plays Donald Miller’s mother. Her role as a mother who is worried, confused and on the brink of devastation and possibly depression is remarkable. Her segment only lasts for about ten minutes but will stick for an eternity in the viewer’s heart. If William Hurt can snag an Oscar nomination for his ten-minute segment is “A History of Violence,” I don’t see how Viola Davis won’t be able to snag a nomination for her role in this movie.
If someone else did this adaptation of the famous play, it might have gone in a different direction that might not be as remarkable. It’s a good thing Shanley, who also did the play, signed on for the film adaptation. He knows what he wants the actors to do and he knows how he wants the story to go.
Roger Deakins (“There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men”) is the cinematographer for “Doubt” and shows again that he can capture pure realism with beautiful shots that fit the film’s setting perfectly.
Without a doubt, this is one of the best films of the year.

Rating 4 stars (out of 4)