DOUBT is a film that
makes you doubt the actions of the two leads. Meryl Streep is Sister Aloysius
Beauvier, the strict principal of Saint Nicholas Church School. She gets suspicious
when the popular parish priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) takes a special interest in the only black boy who has
transferred to the school in a time where the Catholic Church must modernize (around 1964).
Aloysius is convinced Father Flynn is making inappropriate advances to the boy.
She has no prove and all she has to fall on is her belief that something is going on.
She locks wits with Flynn in an attempt to get him.
DOUBT is a compelling
film. The character and setting propel the story into a resolution that you will
be doubting yourself on whether Aloysius was right or not (and if Father Flynn was up to no good). Also DOUBT does give
me one more reason not to send kids to Catholic School (if I was Catholic and had kids). In addition, it shows the lifes
that the priests and nuns lived (they were in contrast to each other).
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Writer/ Director John
Patrick Shanley reveals lots of little details about the times the film is set in and you find out that film is a little autobiographical
in the film’s audio commentary track.
Four featurettes appear
on this disc-
DOUBT: FROM STAGE TO
SCREEN- the writer/director reveals how he took his play and transformed it into a movie.
It features interviews with Shanley and the cast (he even interviews the cast too).
THE CAST OF DOUBT- a
fun featurette that was originally on EW.COM as the cast is interviewed (and they are fun to watch).
SCORING DOUBT- a behind-the-scenes
look at the recording of the score for DOUBT.
THE SISTER OF CHARITY-
the real Sisters of Charity are interviewed and the cast (and John Patrick Shanley) comment on the interviews.
FINAL ANALYSIS: DOUBT is a riveting drama with strong performances from Steep and Hoffman in a well-written
tale about faith and doubt.
This DVD review is (c)4-10-2009 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted
without permission. Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
