Doubt (2008)
(John Patrick Shanley, US 2008, 104 min., 35mm)
Philip Seymour Hoffman received his third Oscar nomination for his sensitive portrayal of a kindly priest accused by a pair of nuns (Meryl Streep, Amy Adams) of molesting the son of an African American parishioner (Viola Davis) in the 1960s Bronx. Hoffman wasn’t the only cast member to get the nod—all three of his co-stars were similarly nominated. While none would win, their combined talents under the sure-footed direction of John Patrick Shanley (who adapted his own Pulitzer Prize–winning stage play for the big screen) make for a bracing argument-starter of a film that offers no easy answers to the thorny questions it poses.
35mm print courtesy of the DGA Motion Picture Conservation Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archives
The Philip Seymour Hoffman film series is supported by James Declan Tobin on behalf of the Sumner Roy Kates Charitable Trust.