Doubt (Dir: John Patrick Shanley)

The cast of Doubt is tremendous, accomplished. The film, adapted from a stage play, deals with big themes like the nature of truth, sexual identity, and the still relevant theme of abuse of power within the church. With its question of whether or not a priest is abusing his position of headmaster of a middle school, the movie has infinite dramatic potential. But the movie is also heavy handed and underlines its themes repeatedly, over emphasizing its core questions so those in the cheap seats don't miss them. The film is indeed about Doubt. And Sin. And Guilt. And just in case you missed it, the movie repeats the word "doubt" at several crucial points throughout.

See this is a movie about Doubt and each character struggles with doubt and the dramatic climax arrives when several characters finally confront their own doubts. And perhaps I would be more willing to forgive the film its heavy hand if the final exchange did not ring so false and end with yet another repetition of the word doubt. Meryl Streep delivers these final lines and it seems without this final thematic overkill, the film might have arrived at a more satisfying conclusion.

Doubt falls apart in the final moments and reveals what a machine the entire enterprise actually was. The central story is merely a means to give actors a chance to have important, heated conversations about meaty themes. Doubt, the film at least, is about the actors. They all do an excellent job, but in the end it all feels like an exercise. The film is also an exercise in ambiguity: did or didn't he. In the end, who cares, because there is no answer.

See the title.