Doubt (2008)
Doubt (2008) 8/10
Doubt asks a single question: What is the truth? And provides us with many more questions but no answer. From Philip Seymour Hoffman’s opening speech as a preacher, the film invites us into that murky grey area between truth and untruth, black and white. Set in a small parish, it pits two legendary actors: Hoffman and Meryl Streep, both past Oscar winners and sets them up against each other. It is a scintillating and mesmerizing battle of wits, if only because it is so rare to have such a talented faceoff. The pairing of Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon is another such example.
But beyond the excellent leads, who deserve their Oscar nominations are the excellent supporting cast. Amy Adams is decent, but undeserving of a best supporting actress nomination. However, Viola Davis, who has a relatively short screen time, almost steals the show in one of the most powerful and heartbreaking sequences in the film. No mean feat when you are sharing screen time with Meryl Streep.
The film, directed with much skill and craft is almost flawlessly crafted. Pay attention to how the characters use the surroundings to empahsise the relative power structures. When Hoffman’s character enter Streep’s office, he automatically sits on her chair and it is in this subtle manner that the power dynamics of people reveal much more than is spoken.
But there is one flaw that bugs me alot and which i felt detracted from the credibility of the film. Why noone thought of speaking to the boy and asking for his perspective of what happened is to me a critical flaw of the movie’s logic. There is an elephant in the room yet the filmmakers resolutely refuse to address this elephant with the result that the film feels less coherent as a result. While Streep’s character says that it is not necessary to interview the boy because he will likely spin tales, the failure to interview the boy and ask his version of the story utterly defies common sense.
While i disliked this logical gap in the story, the film is nevertheless a brilliantly acted and highly enjoyable tale. Although the film is slow to provide answers, it effectively plants the seeds of doubt in our minds. Whatever the audience’s interpretation of the events, the film succeeds as one which invites us to challenge and question our beliefs. A laudable ideal indeed.
