Review of "Doubt"

Of all the Oscar contenders, "Doubt" probably has the best ensemble of actors assembled this year. Watching the performances of Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis makes up for a somewhat slow pace. The film initially explores the clash of tradition versus progress at a Catholic school circa 1964.

Streep's Sister Aloysius is a stern traditionalist school principle who rules the student body with an iron fist and commands fear rather than respect. She is confronted with the presence of Hoffman's Father Flynn who is compassionate and kind. A little too kind in Aloysius' mind.

When Father Flynn takes a special interest in a chior boy who is also the only African American student at the school, another nun, Amy Adams' Sister James becomes suspicious, especially after she catches Father Flynn returning an undershirt to the boy's locker. When Sister James takes her concerns to Sister Aloyisius, the real conflict begins.

Sister Aloysius goes to extrordinary lengths to try to prove wrongdoing on Father Flynn's part. She refuses to believe any explanations given by Flynn, no matter how plausible they might be. Ultimately, she holds to her certainty that Flynn committed an atrocious act upon the boy, and pushes him to resign despite the lack of and substanciating evidence.

By the end of the film we are shown that the film is not really about the conflict between tradition and progress, it is about doubt. There is never any certainty whether Flynn is innocent or not. Aloyisius takes his resignation as proof of his guilt, but even she is forced to admit her own doubts. Even the naive Sister James finds herself filled with doubt by the end.

Ultimately it is the acting that sets this film apart and makes it worth seeing. Some other nice touches include the desaturated colors that make the film almost feel as though it was filmed in black and white, a gesture that allows the viewer to focus on the characters and not the scenery.