“Doubt”

Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) doesn’t like Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman). She’s an old battleaxe of a nun – all rules and regulations. He is young, charismatic and part of the new, more open church. It’s this dislike that turns into distrust and fuels the accusation at the center of “Doubt.” When Sister Aloysius voices her concern “about matters at Saint Nicholas School” to the other nuns in her charge, young Sister James (Amy Adams) tells of the school’s lone black student (Joseph Foster) being called to the rectory by Father Flynn. From that seed, Sister Aloysius spins her case to take down Father Flynn. She accuses him of an inappropriate relationship with the boy yet has nothing but her certitude, and the tiniest shreds of circumstantial evidence, to back it up. Publicly, Father Flynn has shown nothing but kindness toward a boy who has few friends. And the movie never reveals the truth. Just as is life, you’re left to draw your own conclusions. So is Sister Aloysius in the right? Or is Father Flynn the victim? Do you really expect a clear-cut answer from a film titled “Doubt?” My tweet: Sister Meryl Streep accuses Father Philip Seymour Hoffman of improper conduct with an altar boy. Hilarity does not ensue. 8.5 (out of 10)

“Doubt”

Released: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Length: 104 minutes

Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams

Director: John Patrick Shanley

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation, Period