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But this doesn't diminish the film's triumphs too much. Cinematographer Roger Deakins apparently hasn't set down the camera this year—his other 2008 releases include the beautifully shot movies The Reader and Revolutionary Road—and at this point I'd happily watch grass grow, as long as he was behind the camera. Doubt, with its black-clad figures set against rich greens, blues, and brick reds, is exquisite in its simplicity. This is a period piece, set in a distinctive time in the Catholic church when nuns wore Victorian-style bonnets and ate in silence while the priests dug heartily into a raucous dinner, and Deakins' stills of this time could be framed and hung in a museum alongside the Dutch masters.

Sister Aloysius suspects Father Flynn of molesting a boy

Amy Adams is the weakest member of the cast, not because she's a poor actress but because she is once again playing Amy Adams—I hope she's given the opportunity to break out of the doe-eyed role soon. On the other hand, Viola Davis, in a riveting turn as the student's mother, has only one scene, but it turns out to be the moment where the foundations shift, and she works in emotionally stunning contrast to Sister Aloysius.

We've seen the protean Hoffman play scary, brilliant, creepy, lovable, and pathetic before, but this is one of his most likeable characters. Here he gets to play someone that, depending on your opinion of his honesty, might embody all of those, that swings between kind benevolence and anger—for either his reputation, or for righteousness's sake. But despite his firm standing in the upper echelons of contemporary actors, he's not quite a match for Streep here. She's a bit like that symbolic cat—prowling for one wrong move, hissing and spitting and snarling, with unblinking eyes and a taste for blood—but this guise is stretched so thinly over a concealed vulnerability that cracks are beginning to show, and those moments are startling for how they challenge what we believe about her character.

Doubt is not going to please some moviegoers. True: the symbolism is a bit heavy-handed. True: not a whole lot actually happens onscreen. True: it's a little infuriating to be left scratching your head about what really went on. But to the engaged viewer, Doubt brings assumptions about people and circumstances to the surface, and then challenges those assumptions with uncertainty and, yes, doubt. Nobody loses, but nobody wins, either.

Talk About It

1. Do you think Father Flynn did anything wrong? Why or why not? Is his guilt or innocence the main point of the story? Discuss.
   
   
2. Father Flynn tells Sister Aloysius, "We are the same." Assuming he is telling the truth about his confessions, how would John 8:2-11 apply to this story?
   
   
3. If Father Flynn is lying, and has something to hide, are Sister Aloysius' actions justified?
   
   
4. Mrs. Miller tells Sister Aloysius, "You know the rules, Sister, but that don't cover it." What does that mean? Read Matthew 5:21-48. What is Jesus' response to rules?
   
   
5. How do we interpret this story in the light of Romans 2:1-6?
   
   

The Family Corner

Doubt is rated PG-13 for thematic material. The story deals with implied pedophilia and homosexuality, but nothing is shown and the characters talk very obtusely about these subjects, so they're mostly troubling in light of more recent church scandals. While there's little subject matter that's patently offensive, the themes are inappropriate for younger children, but it would make good discussion fodder for older teens and up.

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