Doubt

It's that time of year when the release schedule offers up its "worthy" films, and I'm sure it's a total coincidence that the Oscars happen about now. Doubt is a perfect example of one of those types of films, all brilliant acting and weighty subject, with barely a squeak of humour to be found. In this case it's the issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic church and the nature of faith, and obviously doubt. One look at the main players will tell you what to expect on the acting front; Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Throw in that it's an adaptation of a heralded play and you have awards bait.

And that's probably Doubt's main problem. Like so many films released around about awards season it feels designed to garner them, to the extent that it's difficult to connect to it. The same can be said for films such as The Reader or Changeling, they feel more like exercises than emotional experiences. Doubt does manage to rise above these film's sterility, but it's almost in spite of itself. The direction, by the writer who also penned the stageplay John Patrick Shanley, is poor to say the least. He relies too heavily on weird camera angles and visual metaphors as blunt as a well used pencil to try and convey his point.

Thankfully the acting rises above the shoddy direction. Hoffman is as good as he always is as charismatic priest Flynn while Streep is a whirlwind as the head Nun suspicious of his approach to children. This is a woman so sure of her convictions that she doesn't need proof, she just knows. It's an award worthy performance from one of the business' bona fide legends. The problem is that the confrontations between the two feel stagy, another of Shanley's shortcomings as he fails to make this theatrical adaptation feel cinematic, no matter the visual attempts mentioned previously. It means that although these two are acting their arses off, we know it. They feel like actors playing these parts as opposed to the characters themselves. Be thankful for Amy Adams then, one of the best actresses around at the moment. Her Sister James is a timid soul and the one character who feels totally natural.

What does separate Doubt from those other "worthy" pictures is its refusal to give easy answers. It's central premise is a touchy subject and the film asks the audience to side with a man who may be touching up kids against the person who wants to stop him for good. It would have been very easy for Doubt to have hamfistedly tackled this subject and made all the points that people want to hear. Instead it revels in making you question everything without necessarily giving you the answers to those questions, prepare to be frustrated if you're the type who needs closure in a film. It means that despite its many failings Doubt is still worth seeing.