I Have Doubts!

Doubt was one of the last big films from this past Oscar season that I hadn't seen. But, with five nominations, it remained on my list long after February passed, and I finally managed to rent it. Overall, it was one of the most incredibly acted films I may have ever seen, in the classical sense of the word "acting." Sure, it didn't show the quirkiness of Jack Sparrow or ingenuity of Forrest Gump, but in general, Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, and Amy Adams filled their roles so effortlessly that it was quite amazing to watch.

The film shows every mark of being adapted from a play. You can almost see the distinct sets, feel the scene changes, and watch the actors enter and exit the stage. Still, it was marvelously filmed. The cinematography, particularly the coloring, did wonders to enhance the colorless world in which the story is set. And the closeups on the individual actors added to the performances in which plays would surely miss out on.

In simple terms, Doubt tells of events at a Catholic school in the 1960s. When a priest is suspected of abusing one of the children, the principal nun of the school stands up against him with little to no proof, but a great deal of certainty. All the while, it's hard to tell who to trust or believe in. For the most part, the main characters, Streep's Aloysius, Adams' Sister James, and Seymore-Hoffman's Father Flynn along with Viola Davies' mother character, carry the movie. In many ways, the plot is quite simple, and the movie is fairly short, but the intensity of the characters and the performances adds incredible depth.

Streep's strict character, guided solely by her certainty that Father Flynn did something wrong, proves what I have long known: that Meryl Streep is one of the most stunning and versitile actresses currently in the business. She rivals Tom Hanks in her ability to totally inhabit a character, to become that person. From the little touches like the way she moves her mouth, to the riveting speeches she delivers with all the intensity she can muster, to the final defeated line she utters, "I have doubts!"... her performance was truly a gift to watch.

It's easy to understand why the film got so many acting nominations, but that's about where my appreciation for the movie ends. The grand dramatic plot comes to a limited conclusion. It's not bad, just not outstanding. I've had fun debating whether or not other people who have seen the film think Father Flynn was by default guilty, or whether that's just something the audience is meant to not know. I lean with the side that he would not have quit had he not had something to hide, but could easily play devil's advocate in a different direction. Additionally, does the "I have doubts" line that brings the film to a close take away from the power of Streep's character, or add to it? I, personally, thinks it adds to the performance - it's such a classic human trait to be unable to attain 100% certainty, there is always room for doubts to eat away at you.

So, this is a rather short and simple blog post from me, but with all the reviewing I did last winter, I wanted to round out the Oscar season with Doubt. It was a film I enjoyed and would recommend, but not one that made a life-changing impression on me.