In Continuum.

The setting of the film is a simple one: It begins in the Saint Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, and four main characters are involved in this story. Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a friendly priest that everybody in the church likes. He is nice to the students, cares about them, and that does not sit well with Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep). Sister Aloysius has her own rules to keep as the principal of the school, ways in which to run things, methods in which she deems to be closest to God. Under her command is Sister James (Amy Adams), the young nun of the church who is also a teacher. One day, she informs Sister Aloysius about an incident she noticed between one of her students and Father Flynn, when they had a private talk in the office. Suspicious of what Father Flynn may be doing to this child, Sister Aloysius begins her investigation on Father Flynn, based not on evidences but on her own certainty of the heart. She accuses of Father Flynn of "advancing" on the child without the slightest proof, and yet Father Flynn's own habits and history does not exactly tear him away from being guilty. Sister James, caught in between the struggled, then, has to decide. The mother of the child, Mrs. Muller (Viola Davis), then explains a shocking history of her son that changed the game for all the characters in the story.

The film is an adaptation of a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name. Interestingly, though, is that it has been adapted by the same man that wrote and directed the original play in the first place. John Patrick Shanley does a masterful job and adapting his own stage play onto the big screen, and he has chosen all the right actors to play the major roles in this story. His direction somehow reminds me of Stephen Daldry's style in The Hours - a subtle film that emphasizes on the beauty of its details, and one that sometimes explodes onscreen with emotions and tension. There is a reason why the original version won the Tony Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize - it's just that good. John Patrick Shanley's story about righteousness and justice is honest and truthful, and the investigation into how far a person would go to seek those two things by abandoning reason and compassion astounded me to no end. By the end of the film, I was practically in awe of how amazing the film was on so many levels, and I don't suppose a single film review would be worthy of its brilliance. Nonetheless, I shall try. 

Let's begin with the obvious - the actors in this film are the best in the industry right now. Everybody is at the top of their game, doing their best, at their best. If there is one thing you should buy the tickets to the movie for, it'd be for the acting alone. As much as I hate to use the cliched words "tour de force" to describe a film, this film is exactly that. Meryl Streep pulls off one of best roles she has ever undertaken, in my opinion, this time around. In fact, I have seen all the performances in the Best Actress (Drama) category at the Golden Globes, and it is really shocking that Kate Winslet won over her. As much as I love Kate Winslet, I don't think her performance was, in any way, better than Meryl Streep's nun. Behold, when I say that the final confrontational scene between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius is going to blow everything you have watched out of the waters. I had chills when I saw it, and I had to watch it a couple of times just to take it all in. Meryl Streep is at the top of her game, acting without trying, speaking without talking, and the very last scene in the film saw her ability as an actress completely shining through. 

If your main actress is someone like Meryl Streep, you better make sure the rest of your cast can hold a candle against her might. There is no question about the fact that Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors ever, and he holds his candle alright, and at times surpasses Meryl altogether. The sparring between the two actors were frightening and enjoyable at the same time, that I found myself in some kind of movie nirvana. Hoffman gave the character so much depth, the way he disclosed to Streep's character towards the end concerning the "things" he did in the past, and how he has already confessed to them. His portrayal of a man who made mistakes in the past was believable and, you almost feel sorry for him. Yet, that doesn't mean that he actually did what was accused of him, because we never actually see any solid evidences. Amy Adams, being the younger one of the lot, puts up well with the powers at be from all sides. She provides the neutral standpoint in this film, an innocent attempt to look upon things from the most objective point of view. Both parties have an agenda to make, but not her. She tries to remain neutral, but she battles her own morals and feelings as she is caught in between. 

This is the reason why the film is so great: doubt. That's the title of the film, and it encompasses the entire gist of the story. It asks the question on what happens when you doubt someone without evidences, and the doubt in your heart towards your faith when you have to do what needs to be done despite being morally incorrect. At the end of the film, we realize that even Sister Aloysius is in doubt of her own actions, and she questioned if doing what she thought was right was also against the nature of her religion at the same time. This is somewhat of a spoiler, but let's just say that the film never actually reveals to us whether or not Father Flynn did whatever that he did. The film ends on a somewhat ambiguous note, and you never actually find out. You get clues along the way that he did it, and yet clues that he did not do it. You see both sides of the coin, but you can't be sure until you are presented with the evidence. I love how the film's title also explains the emotion that we feel throughout the film, no matter which side of the argument we choose to believe. By not telling the audience outright in regards to what Father Flynn did or didn't do, it keeps the audience constantly in doubt, and you start to question if doubting someone without knowing is the right thing to do as well. 

This film also brings out the danger of stereotyping people in our society. More than the fact that Sister Aloysius was unhappy about the way Father Flynn was running the school, she saw him as being the kind of priest who would do horrible things to children based on the most trivial things. Like, the well-groomed nails and the pressed flowers in his Bible. She didn't like him also for how open minded he seems to be in regards to sugar cubes he loves in his tea and cigarettes. She based her accusations and certainty on these things, and never on anything that is solid. She then completely disregards the fact that Father Flynn could merely be a nice person to the boy, who is a black student in the school and constantly being bullied by the other students. He cares for this boy, but Sister Aloysius refuses to see that as being something purely innocent. But yet, you can't say that Sister Aloysius' accusations are completely baseless and untrue. There are conflicting clues and ideas all around, and some people may find it tiresome to piece them together despite never knowing the truth until the end. But I don't see it as being manipulative, but brilliant and masterful filmmaking. 

This film also asks question about faith, particularly in the religion context. It acknowledges the fact that vigilance is a good thing, that we should embrace that form of righteousness in our hearts. Yet, it also cautions us against embracing absolute and biased certainty, because it clouds our judgments and the truth. Faith does not necessarily work in the path to the truth, and that does not only pertain to the story, but the whole idea of religion. There are so much to digest in this film that you really have to watch it to take everything in yourself. It does not flash itself out in broad daylight, but in its subtleties to you see its genius. Doubt is an intellectually and emotionally draining movie, and yet everything is ultimately rewarding. This is a film of the highest calibre, one that is shaped by the best acting, best directing, and best screenplay I have seen in a while. To me, this film is above Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight for 2008. This is the film to rule them all, and definitely my favorite film of last year. 

10/10