The Catholic Church has faced much scrutiny over the past few decades due to allegations of child abuse involving priests. Whether or not there is any truth to the allegations, it has done nothing but tarnish the reputation of one of the world’s oldest religions and caused people to associate priests with child molesters. But how can one be sure or unsure of what their clergymen have done? John Patrick Shanley tackles this very issue in his stage play turned screenplay adaptation of “Doubt.”

Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the new priest at a parish that runs their school with the philosophy of fear as a way to keep the children in line. Leading the charge of iron-fisted discipline is the head nun Sister Aloysius (Streep), who’s attitude Father Flynn believes is keeping the parish back from making progress in the community. While the two do not see eye-to-eye, they remain friendly and civil … until one day Sister James (Adams) becomes concerned about the well being of one of her students.

After returning to class from a visit with Father Flynn in the rectory, Sister James becomes worried about the boy’s mood change and the apparent smell of alcohol on the boy’s breath. Although she has no evidence to convict Father Flynn of any wrong doing, she tells Sister Aloysius about the situation as a precaution. A ruler-toting disciplinarian who is already predisposed to dislike Father Flynn’s “be nicer” viewpoint, she attacks him with everything she has.

John Patrick Shanley’s second directed film (his first being on the other end of the spectrum in “Joe vs. the Volcano”) is an emotional gut-wrencher that leaves the audience not only asking what the characters should have done, but what they would have done in the same situation. As for the performances, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep really are worth the price of admission alone, as Amy Adams does a fine job herself. Some of the scenes between Seymour Hoffman and Streep give you a great appreciation for fine acting and there is no doubt (pun intended) that the Oscar nominations were well deserved for all three.

Although it may be a bit dull for some at times and may seem like nothing really gets resolved in the end, “Doubt” is a film that does what all great pieces of cinema do, it plays with your emotions from start to finish.