Doubt

John Patrick Shanley directed this version of his play, set in a Bronx Catholic school in the 1960s. A nun (Meryl Streep) begins to wonder about a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who seems a little too interested in a young black student. With Amy Adams and a "devastatingly great" (Variety) Viola Davis as the boy's mother.

“The drama reaches its high point when Sister Aloysius calls in Donald’s mother (Davis) to inform her of what she believes is going on between her son and his would-be protector. The scene, which begins in the principal’s office but on film now continues on a walk through a dreary housing complex on a chilly day, is superbly written; the representative of religious absolutism sticks to her certainty in the face of a deeply moving confession of true-life emotional realities about the boy’s domestic situation.

“The tension between unbending principle and the call for compassion and human understanding could scarcely be more pointedly evoked than it is here, and Davis’ performance is devastatingly great as a troubled mother forced to voice her own uncomfortable views about her lonely, ostracized son. The scene as a whole constitutes a 12-minute emotional demolition job.” (Todd McCarthy, Variety)

"A terrific and troubling drama of ideas bristling with nuance and grief. Instantly a leading contender for some of the year's biggest acting prizes." (Ray Greene, Boxoffice)

An Oscar nominee for Best Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress (x two for Adams and Davis).

A multiple 2008 Golden Globe nominee for Best Actress, Supporting Actress (both Adams and Davis) and Supporting Actor (Hoffman).

“The air is thick with paranoia in “Doubt,” but nowhere as thick, juicy, sustained or sustaining as Meryl Streep’s performance as a distrustful nun in John Patrick Shanley’s screen adaptation of his stage play.” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times)