Last night I went to a movie to mother and wife. We watched the Movie "Doubt". The Movie "Doubt" is based upon the play "Doubt".
Doubt has a stellar cast. The characters that play the minor roles do a good job with the parts that they play. But Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman do a superb job with their lead roles. So much of the acting in this movie is based upon subtlety--the looks and expression someone gives, or the little cues about what is going on between body language between two characters. Thomas and Streep pull this off brilliantly.
One scene in particular that is fascinating in this regard is when the nun decides she is going to confront the priest about something she feels he has done wrong. The priest begins the situation by taking the nun's seat at the desk. Then there is this subtle dance where the nun attempts to and finally does take control of the situation. The tension of the scene in palpable, and the subtle ways each person tries to take control of the situation is so brilliantly written and acted that is just sucks you in.
The movie did well in letting non-human "characters" speak. For instance, the light in the mother superior's office keeps going out at important times. The wind blows at points in the movie, and you wonder how the director intends that wind to speak to you.
The movie, says the author, is really about what the title says it is about--the relationship of doubt and certainty. It is set in a post Vatican-II catholic church in Boston, with the incoming of a new priest of a church and perochial school in the 1960s. At some point, the mother superior suspects the priest of an inappropriate relationship with a student, and the nun and priest get caught up in a power struggle. This power struggle escalates throughout the movie, and does not have a "disney" conclusion.
It also touches on the issue of homosexuality.
The role of the young boy's mother is also played brilliantly.
If you want a movie that will challenge you and make you think, watch the movie DOUBT.
7 comments:
I don't know why, but this movie scares me to death. I think I would rather keep my head in the sand on this one.
i like your blog......
The previews look great for the movie - I had assumed there was an issue between the priest and the boy, but there was some "doubt" too :) Your review makes me want to see it even more ...
Michele--you will be happy to know very little in the way of issues is really solved here, and there are no graphic scenes. I think you should see it.
thanx 4 sharing...i heard of the movie but didn't give it much thought.
i think i will look into seeing it now. :)
Happy New Year Clint! I hope you and your wife have many blessings! Oh...and shouldn't it also be HAPPY ANNIVERSARY?! (A week or so late, right?)
Thanks for the movie review. I want to see this, but don't know if I'll get to the theatre. (I tend to get anxiety at the theatre...too crowded I think!) But...I will defintely want to see it when it comes out on DVD! The previews looked really interesting!
:o) Heather (Ori)
It's on my list now, thanks!
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