Doubt- A movie review

This weekend Rob and I saw Doubt which stars Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and was directed by John Patrick Shanley.  This movie takes place in the late 1960's in the Bronx and is set in a small catholic school.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Brendan Flynn, the priest of this church/school with a heart of gold.  He takes to the children with a heart of compassion and love.  Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the school principal who reports to the priest.  Her characters approach to life and work is fear driven. She works very hard to be stern and feared among the students and staff.  The contrast between her character and Phillip's is like night and day.A young nun/teacher has the first black student at the school. He's got the typical rebellious streak that kids go through at that age.  One day the child comes to class with the smell of alcohol on his breath after a 1:1 meeting with the priest.  The young teacher goes through the proper channels and reports this to Sister Aloysius.  Sister Aloysius breaks all protocol and takes this to be a sign of a molester in her midst.  She never trusted Father Flynn, what with his longish nails and seeks to prove that he is an evil man.Father Flynn fights against this vendetta on his reputation tooth and nail.  The drama that takes place is fascinating to watch and upsetting to think about.  The costumes in the film make the film seem more medieval than it is.  The power that Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep bring to their respective roles makes the story come alive.  The plot is a timeless one that could just as easily have taken place today and reminded me quite a lot of the film Milk with it's storyline that included witch hunts against teachers who were gay and those that were sympathetic to them.Without spoiling the movie, I will say that the story and characters are complex, the dramatic turns are riveting and every character on the screen is integral to the story.  There are no weak links in the film and from beginning to end you are engrossed in a story that shows the highs and lows of the human spirit.

0 comments

Leave a comment...