Doubt (John Patrick Shanley - 2008)

In a church run school in 1960s New York, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) the headmistress is uniformly terrifed by all. She runs the school with an iron grip and strict rules. She is suspicious about the parish priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and instructs her fellow nuns, including the wide eyed Sister James (Amy Adams) to look out for any incriminating evidence against him, leading to an accusation of molestation against the only black boy in the school.

With a cast like this (3 Oscar wins and countless nominations) and the prestige that precedes the play (a Pulitzer prize winner) you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Oscar voters had put it on their ballots before even seeing the film. I'm led to believe this more after seeing it myself. Shanley is a stunning writer but his directorial skills leave a lot to be desired. His only previous experience behind a camera was in the film Voe Versus The Volcano, not the best example. There are far too many uses of jaunty camera angles which adds nothing to the atmosphere of the film (thank the genius Roger Deakins for that) and the examples of imagery are as subtle as a brick. He's a man used to the stage and the main problem with adapting theatre to film is the difficulty of opening the story up to a wider audience without the constraints of a stage.

His direction does ultimately effect the quality of the performances. Meryl Streep could rest on her prestigious acting laurels but I admire her for continuing to seek meaty roles, such as the one of Sister Aloysius, but she doesn't fully succeed in bringing the needed uncertainty to the role. Aloysius is portrayed as a complete ogre for the first half of the film. She seems to be going after Father Flynn for the sole reason that she doesn't like him. Streep inhabits her character with too many ticks and scornful looks. She is much better in the second half but her final line is delivered in such a ham fisted way, any meaning it had just floats away. Hoffman, another great actor, is good but he's been so much better. He brings a lot to Flynn but once again, we need the doubt and it isn't quite there. Sister James is supposed to be a naive but well meaning woman who cares for her class and the truth. I can understand what Adams was trying to do with the role but, dear god, she acted like a squirrel! I was convinced she'd walked straight in from Enchanted, put on a black dress and bonnet and continued. She laid it on too thick and it was a little weird to watch. She fares better in some scenes (like getting serious with her class) but it's a low point for Adams. In her 5 minute scene, Viola Davis gives the film it's much needed doubt and finally gets you thinking about what the film wants you to think about. In her role as the possible victim's mother, she sets the screen on fire and brings even more questions into the equation. I'm glad she's been recognised for this role, as small as it is. She even gives Streep a much needed bounce and there's a wonderful sparring of words between the pair.

The strength of the film lies in Shanley's script. Adapted from his own play, it's a battle of honesty and lies. You just don't know who is telling the truth. Accusations are made, lies are told and the basic belief in God is questioned. It's a stunning tale. But the weak direction really hinders it. The performances, predominantly Streep, needed to be reeled in and the simple rules of directing needed to be obeyed. A much better, more experienced director, could have done wonders with this tale. His adaptation could have done with some work too to keep it from being too 'stagey.' Some of these lines ask to be bellowed out in front of a crowd and that doesn't translate well to a screenplay. There is a wonderful film here, it's just gotten lost amongst the mess.