TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

anufrieva_nastya In 1964 the winds of change are sweeping through Sister Aloysius' (Meryl Streep) St. Nicholas school. Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a charismatic priest, is advocating reform of the school's strict customs, and the first black student has just been accepted. When a fellow nun (Amy Adams) tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn may be paying too much personal attention to the student, Sister Aloysius begins a personal crusade against the priest -- despite her lack of evidence. A Catholic grade school could seem like a hermetically sealed world in 1964. That's the case with St. Nicholas in the Bronx, ruled by the pathologically severe principal Sister Aloysius, who keeps the students and nuns under her thumb and is engaged in an undeclared war with the new parish priest. Their issues may seem to center around the reforms of Vatican II, then still under way, with Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as the progressive, but for the nun I believe it's more of a power struggle. The pope's infallibility seems, in her case, to have descended to the parish level. Some will say the character of Sister Aloysius, played without a hint of humor . Sister Aloysius of "Doubt" hates all inroads of the modern world, including ballpoint pens. This is accurate. We practiced our penmanship with fountain pens, carefully heading every page "JMJ" -- for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, of course. Under Aloysius' command is the sweet young Sister James, whose experience in the world seems limited to what she sees out the convent window. Gradually during the autumn semester, the situation develops. There is one African-American student at St. Nicholas, Donald Miller, and Father Flynn encourages him in sports and appoints him as an altar boy. This is all proper. Then Sister James notes that the priest summons the boy to the rectory alone. She decides this is improper behavior, and informs Aloysius, whose eyes narrow like a beast of prey. Father Flynn's fate is sealed. But "Doubt" is not intended as a docudrama about possible sexual abuse. It is about the title word, doubt, in a world of certainty. For Aloysius, Flynn is certainly guilty. That the priest seems innocent, that Sister James comes to believe she was mistaken in her suspicions, means nothing. Flynn knows a breath of scandal would destroy his career. And that is the three-way standoff we watch unfolding with precision and tension. Something else happens. Donald's mother fears her son will be expelled from the school. He has been accused of drinking the altar wine. Worse, of being given it by Father Flynn. She appeals directly to Sister Aloysius. It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of "Doubt". Doubt. It is the subject of the sermon Father Flynn opens the film with. Doubt was coming into the church and the United States in 1964. After the assassination of Kennedy and the beginnings of Vietnam, doubt had undermined American certainty in general. What could you be sure of? What were the circumstances? The motives? The conflict between Aloysius and Flynn is the conflict between old and new, between status and change, between infallibility and uncertainty. And Shanley leaves us doubting. "Doubt" has exact and merciless writing, powerful performances and timeless relevance. It causes us to start thinking with the first shot, and we never stop. Think how rare that is in a film. I came to a different conclusion seeing this film. The entitled "doubt" was not about Father Flynn's guilt (which I believe becomes apparent toward the end of the film). The "doubt" is manifested in Sister Aloysius as she comes to doubt the institution of the Catholic Church she has devoted her life to. Instead of getting rid of the priest, the church covers up the crime. I think that would be enough to cause anyone to have "doubts". This was the last straw that caused this nun to have an emotional break down, reducing a once rigid woman certain in her beliefs to a sobbing and lost wreck of a human being. To answer the obvious mystery in the film - whether Father had some sinful (or criminal) relationship with a twelve year boy? The one word answer on the platter is 'Yes'. I don't think the plot of this movie made a lot of sense for its 1964 setting. Would a nun in 1964 really suspect a priest of sexual abuse based on nothing more than a shirt being placed in a locker? In 2018, after two decades of priest abuse stories in the media, sure; however, in 1964, at a time when no one would dare criticize a man of the cloth, I have my doubts. Either way, I did enjoy the film and thought it was well-acted.

laalmadeguerra In 1964 Father Flynn, a parish priest in a Catholic church in the Bronx, reads a sermon about doubt and its unifying power - because everyone doubts. Soon he will have to test his theses in practice. The parish school where he teaches is dominated by stern Sister Aloysius. The suspicion is that Father Flynn, a kindhearted humanist with too long nails, is in an immoral-intimate relationships with the only Afro-American and the first Afro-American pupil of the school, runs his Sister Aloysius to action. Sister Aloysius doesn't have any evidence but is not doubt a burden that any person who chooses an action for the glory of his ideals should bear? The action takes place in autumn and winter and the weather we see outside (grey skies, a thunderstorm, snow) seems to reflect the characters' emotions. Although the film is set in the sixties, the style of decor of the rooms, and most of the furniture, suggests a date several decades before that, adding to the atmosphere of intellectual conservatism. The theme of doubt runs through the film. It opens with Father Flynn giving a sermon on the nature of doubt and concluding that like faith, it can be a unifying force. It ends, after Flynn has been forced to resign, with Aloysius admitting in tears to Sister James, "I have such doubts". I was disappointed by the ending which seems too abrupt and does not clarify the nature of Aloysius's doubts. Did she mean doubts about her faith in general, or doubts about Flynn's guilt? Or doubts about the justice of a God who can allow a guilty man to go unpunished? (After the resignation Flynn was transferred by the Church authorities to another, more prestigious, parish; effect a promotion). It is certainly true that in some cases an outward view of certainty can hide inner doubts and conflicts, but as Aloysius has still appeared a person of firm convictions, untroubled by doubts of any kind, this sudden, unexplained revelation comes as a shock. The movie's biggest strength is the acting. All three leading actors did a fine job and this was necessary to carry a film that has no special effects, explosions or love scenes. The vagueness of the film is also a strength. After all, the film gets the audience thinking and yet there is definitely no clear answer as to what really occurred in the film. There is lots of room to foster discussions and debate. As usual, Meryl Streep eclipsed everyone and everything with her unlimited talent. She really succeeded in acting the role of a strong-willed women. But Philip Seymour Hoffman also played very emotionally. The episode in the office where the two opponents grabbed in a verbal battle made a great impression on me. I was delighted with their play very much. Viola Davis appeared only for a few minutes, but showed a drama that many actresses will not play in their entire life. And Amy Adams is very convincing in the image of a naive and meek sister. In general, excellent actors, a good story and a pleasant film that leaves an aftertaste. "Doubt" is a doubt as it did not give us an answer to the question: Who was ultimately wrong? And we do not understand who is "bad". Is it the priest with greasy eyes, who, nevertheless, is truly appreciated and respected by the downtrodden boy? Is it the nun who embodies righteousness in its pure form and at the same time confesses that her soul is not at all pure? And who is "good"? Let the viewer decide.

reebokpercent 'Doubt' is a gripping psychological drama with incomparable Meryl Streep and brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman in the leads. The film is directed by John Patrick Shanley and based on his own Pulitzer-Prize winning stage play of the same name. Before watching the film you may be attracted by the film poster with a cross (a symbol of faith) and the word 'doubt' depicting on it, what immediately hooks you due to combining two mutually exclusive concepts. Actually the whole film is based on opposition and proves how controversial can be issues of Good and Evil looked at from different perspectives. It is natural for humans to doubt. It is a result of their capability of speculation and their innate desire to find the truth. However, there are cases when not everyone is "allowed" to doubt due to some personal moral convictions or some restrictions from outside. That's what happens to the main character of the picture, the head nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), who dares to call in question righteousness of the priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) suspecting him of sexual relationship with one of the students of the Catholic school. Her suspicion is neither confirmed for the lack of evidence, nor refuted, but the seed of doubt is already implanted in our minds as well as in the mind of a younger nun, Sister James, wonderfully portrayed by graceful Amy Adams. She observes this opposition between "the prosecutor" and "the accused" and with childish naivety tries to find absolute truth, which is non-existent in the context of the film. Particular attention should be given to excellent acting of Meryl Streep, who perfectly suits the role of a self-possessed principal, running the school in an imperious and domineering manner. Her conservatism seems to be on the verge of absurdity, from prohibition on ballpoint pens and candies to total control of the students (episode with the portrait on the blackboard). So, in comparison with Father Flynn, whose appearance is as "sweet" as his tea and whose deeds and speech are always alarmingly good, Sister Aloysius looks like a true oppressor. However, such an image of her somehow fades as the film progressed. It is she who takes care of her whole nuns' community in the male-dominated environment. Those touchy moments, when she displays particular concern for the elderly Sister Veronica who is going blind, just testify that she is a perfect leader: tough but considerate. A true venerator of traditions Sister Aloysius has a genuine fear of changes, which are brought to Bronx Catholic School with the wind of 1964. Her remark about the weather 'the world is crashing' becomes pivotal for the whole film and even more crucial for herself. In attempts to stop liberalism that starts shifting firm conservative views, the head nun crosses swords with the priest, considering him a disseminator of destructive liberal views. But in the end, ironically, she finds herself doubting her own longstanding believes, realizing that values of the modern world are no longer the same, and that something, once used to be totally unacceptable, today is quite adequate. No doubt, the film is worth seeing! Brilliant performance of all leads alongside with the riveting plot will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

gorelova How good is Doubt? To my mind the film is pretty good. But to be honest, I don't like such films where church is taken as a whole scene. I have no connections to the Catholic Church and the plot is too slow developed. The film takes place in a St. Nicholas school led by Sister Aloysius. At the very beginning of the film Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) preaches a sermon to his congregation in which he asks the question, "What do you do when you're not sure?" There are two answers to this question. You could acknowledge doubt, exploring it as best you can, accept that there may be things we can never know, and live with the ambiguity that so often is a characteristic of human life. Or you could retreat into a dogmatic certainty, suppressing any doubts, and act forcefully to live as though your understanding is the absolute truth - sometimes wreaking great evil in the process. This choice between certainty and doubt is a central theme of the film. At the center of modest setting is a duet play of two outstanding actors Meryl Streep and Philip Hoffman. They are capable of creating persuasive characters with no make-up and unchanging clothes. The scenes between them are thrilling and catching from start to finish. Philip Seymour Hoffman is always good and he is in the centre of the events which are happened in the film. He looks like an ordinary priest; however Sister Aloysius accuses him in having strange relationships with one of the students. Their acting is shaded by a sweet and naive Sister James by Amy Adams. Like an audience she reflects our own misgivings from one strong figure to another. Her love and need for simplicity is heartbreaking. And Viola Davis as a mother of a trouble boy performs a powerful and painful monologue which sheds some light on the matter but still doesn't offer an easy solution. I consider if there is more than one setting (church), the film will be more interesting and eye-catching. The actors are quite good but the plot is rather strange. There are no actions, dynamics, only annoying jump from loud music and conversations to silence. I think I should watch it again to get the whole picture and understand it thoroughly. When you watch a film several times, you always find something new. I recommend this film to grown up people.