I saw "Doubt" a few weeks ago, but until now, I have not been able to get around to writing about it. Yes, this movie is set in a Catholic school, and yes, its three leading actors portray members of the clergy, but this is no syrupy inspirational film. It is a hard-hitting exploration of suspicion, misunderstood intentions, and maliciousness.

Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman in another one of his powerhouse performances) is the new priest at a local Catholic boys school. The principal of the school, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), rules with an iron hand. She is the sort of inflexible, tyrannical bitch who inspects a classroom with ruler in hand so that she can rap the knuckles of inattentive students. And Sister James (Amy Adams) is a young, impressionable nun who unwittingly sets in motion the catastrophe that fuels the story. All seems fairly normal at first, but after Sister James sees Father Flynn devote special attention to a young black student (this is 1964, when black attendance at a white school was rare), and then observes the priest placing a clean shirt in the boy's locker, she begins to suspect the unspeakable. She voices her concern to Sister Aloysius, but clearly has no idea of the kind of person she is dealing with. When Father Flynn is questioned by the principal, Sister James quickly realizes that Sister Aloysius has absolutely no intention of being fair, although it quickly becomes clear that Father Flynn's intentions are perfectly innocent and his motives above reproach. The vicious principal is clearly out to get Father Flynn from private reasons that are never revealed in the film - it would simply be too easy to establish a motive for what seems to be pure unadulterated paranoia and viciousness on the part of Sister Aloysius.

This is one of the few movies I have seen this year that contains literate dialogue that is a pleasure to listen to. John Patrick Shanley (who wrote and won an Oscar for "Moonstruck" some twenty-two years ago), adapted his own Pulitzer Prize winning stage play, and, in a highly unusual (but very desirable) move for a Broadway playwright, also directed the film. He has not "opened up" the play as much as Ron Howard did "Frost/Nixon", and its stage origins are far more apparent - there are several long dialogue scenes in a single setting. But this does not by any means imply that the film is dull; on the contrary, it is consistently interesting, and in case there are any unbelievers reading this, "Doubt" makes absolutely no attempt to shove religion down one's throat, or impose any beliefs on anybody.

The film is impeccably acted; Meryl Streep is her usual amazing self, although her performance has been criticized by some as being too "larger than life", and Amy Adams proves once and for all that she is more than a perky, sweet presence; she can deliver a dramatic performance worthy of any actress. However, there is one performance which makes an unforgettable impression in barely fifteen minutes, that of Viola Davis, as the mother of the young boy who has presumably been molested by Father Flynn. It is no surprise to see her among the Oscar nominees this year.

The film has a rich sense of atmosphere, although virtually all of it takes place in and around the school, and the surroundings are not exactly cheerful. However, do not let that put you off from seeing this film. It is well worth your time. Go see "Doubt" before it is taken out of theatres.