TNMC

Has there ever been a movie more aptly named than Doubt?  That word sums up virtually every aspect of its story and theme.

The movie is set at a Catholic school and church in what I'm guessing is the early 1960s.  The school is run by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep).  The pastor is Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman).  Sister Aloysius comes across as the prototypical authoritarian nun.   She is completely no-nonsense, the sort who wants the world to stay exactly as it is.  Change is dangerous and not to be trusted in her eyes.  In comes Father Flynn and he makes her uneasy.  So uneasy in fact that she warns the other nuns to be on the look out for something improper.  What that would be is never spelled out.  I won't say it either because this movie is about doubt and if I were to spell it out, it might push your opinion in one direction or another.  I'd rather you come up with your own conclusions.

Sister James (Amy Adams) notices something suspicious relating to a student in her history class and she reports it to Sister Aloysius.  Sister Aloysius is not the sort for doubt.  She comes to a conclusion and does not doubt it.  So convinced is she that she begins a relentless assault on Father Flynn, seeking his ouster.  And she is not afraid to break rules or act immorally to do it.  The end justifies her means.

That's about all I'm willing to say about the story.  You'd pick up most of that from the trailers anyway, so these aren't exactly secrets.  What I find most fascinating about this movie is the way it pits doubt against certainty and sets the whole thing in a religious institution.  Religion is about having a faith in god without needing any evidence to support that belief.  And here are two religious figures battling for supremacy with that idea as their dividing line.  Sister Aloysius is resolute in her certainty and it makes her a figure of intolerance.  Father Flynn preaches faith but is forced to argue the merits of facts to support himself.  And with that doubt thing circling warily, neither one becomes a one note figure.  Sister Aloysius is certainly intolerant but she acts that way out of a deep concern for her students.  That intolerance does not make her an unsympathetic character because we understand her motivations.  Father Flynn seems like a good caring person who relishes his job, but a certain distrust sets in and makes us question all of his motivations.

The movie is written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, based on his own play.  He has a magnificently talented cast to work with and they take a very smart script and make it even smarter and more emotional.  Streep and Hoffman are like titans pitted in mortal combat in some explosive scenes together.  Amy Adams manages to stake out her own place in this story by going to a very different place from the heavyweights.  And Viola Davis makes use of a tiny amount of screen time to leave us thunderstruck.  She so startled me that I actually started talking to the screen.  It's no accident this small part netted Davis an Oscar nom.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if she won.

Shanley gets incredible mileage by avoiding saying anything specific.  He knows the sort of perceptions that you will bring with you to this film and sets about making you question them hard.  He dances carefully around the issues, never staking a flag on one, instead letting your experiences and prejudices point you toward what you believe to be the truth.  And he will never call you wrong or right.  If you like your movies wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end, you should avoid this one.  Shanley not only won't wrap it up for you, he defiantly refuses to answer your questions.  The truth is not to be found in this movie.  You will have to decide that truth for yourself.  And what conclusion you arrive at will say an awful lot about you as a person.