FILMGAZM PRODUCTIONS
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • ACTION
    • BIOPIC
    • COMEDY
    • CRIME
    • DRAMA
    • FAMILY
    • FANTASY
    • HORROR
    • MUSICAL
    • SCI-FI
    • SPORT
    • WAR
    • WESTERN
  • PODCASTS
    • THE FILMGAZM PODCAST
    • FIRST THOUGHTS
    • FAKE TRUE STORIES
    • 10,000 FLICKS
    • BEYOND THE BAD
    • FILMGAZM CLASSIC
    • OSCAR SUNDAY
    • THE SNEAK PREVIEW
  • Articles
  • Hall of 10's
    • CONNOR'S HALL
    • CALEB'S HALL
    • AUSTIN'S HALL
    • JOSH'S HALL
  • Trailers
  • Meet the Team
  • In Memoriam
  • Ratings
Picture
A suspicious nun begins to question a priest's seemingly
​ambiguous relationship with a young boy in his parish.
DRAMA

Doubt (2008)

Written and Directed by John Patrick Shanley

Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams,
Viola Davis, Joseph Foster, Lloyd Clay Brown, Mike Roukis

Based on the stage play Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley

Oscar Nominations - Best Actress (Meryl Streep), Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress
(Amy Adams), Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis), ​
​Best Adapted Screenplay

Connor Eyzaguirre
December 3, 2019
8/10
Doubt is a troubling film, but it's a smart film as well. It takes a subject matter that's devastating, and turns it into a sort of mystery. Did Father Flynn act inappropriately? Did he harm the boy? By the end, we don't really know, and the film leaves you with enough evidence for either side. But Hoffman's performance is so damn endearing that you want him to be innocent, and Streep's performance is so damn irrational that you want her to be wrong about Father Flynn. This is a film that questions the faith we put in the ones we consider our spiritual teachers, priests and nuns and so forth. In every way, they're just as flawed as the rest of us, and not many films showcase this quite often.

When Father Flynn (Hoffman) begins taking an interest in a troubled young student, Sister Aloysius (Streep), the school's principal, gets it in her head that Flynn is molesting him. She has no evidence, only her own pride and certainty. Nonetheless, she goes to great lengths to get Flynn removed from the parish. This all occurs because Sister James (Adams) sees Flynn put a t-shirt in the boy's locker. Paranoia sets in fast and digs in deep, and the audience is left forced to make a choice. Is Flynn guilty or innocent? It could honestly go either way, and according to director John Patrick Shanley, the only other person who knew the truth was Hoffman himself, God rest him.

Doubt is a brilliantly written lesson in human frailty, not physically but emotionally. Every actor performs spectacularly and I like how the film doesn't commit to either side. It effectively makes every character ambiguous, neither a hero or a villain. You could watch this film differently every time, and that's the very definition of smart filmmaking.

Mission Statement

Filmgazm is made by movie lovers for movie lovers. We believe in the magic of film and we aim celebrate films of all genres and throughout cinema history, regardless of who's behind the camera or who financed it. We at Filmgazm believe that every film deserves to be reviewed on its own merits and that's what we are here to do. Enjoy the show!
DISCLAIMER - Filmgazm does not own nor do we pretend to own any posters, artwork, or trailers on this site. We mean only to review
​and discuss movies. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • ACTION
    • BIOPIC
    • COMEDY
    • CRIME
    • DRAMA
    • FAMILY
    • FANTASY
    • HORROR
    • MUSICAL
    • SCI-FI
    • SPORT
    • WAR
    • WESTERN
  • PODCASTS
    • THE FILMGAZM PODCAST
    • FIRST THOUGHTS
    • FAKE TRUE STORIES
    • 10,000 FLICKS
    • BEYOND THE BAD
    • FILMGAZM CLASSIC
    • OSCAR SUNDAY
    • THE SNEAK PREVIEW
  • Articles
  • Hall of 10's
    • CONNOR'S HALL
    • CALEB'S HALL
    • AUSTIN'S HALL
    • JOSH'S HALL
  • Trailers
  • Meet the Team
  • In Memoriam
  • Ratings