Glaubensfrage

Well, I really wasn’t expecting this. It’s almost unbelievable how fittingly the name Doubt describes the film. There’s not a single moment when the viewer can be certain on whose side the truth is, or who has the purer or more noble motives, etc. This would have been impossible without a great script and dialogues, which I would appoint as king of all dialogues :-D… I really can’t remember when was the last time I swallowed like this every word uttered by the characters in a film. Praising the performances would be redundant, and I reckon this year the members of the Academy will have a very hard job. Just one more thing before closing, I wouldn’t have believed it before watching it, but I’ve just found “my” drama of the year 2008. (27.01.2009)

Tolles Theater, aber ein lediglich überdurchschnittlicher Film. Shanley hat ein perfektes Drehbuch geschrieben, er hat hervorragende Mitarbeiter gefunden, aber dennoch fungiert der Film Doubt lediglich als schauspielerisches Konzert und als Duell zweier gegensätzlicher Ansichten des Glaubens. Im Film haben wir hier exzellente Musik von Howard Shore, Deakins 'farbenfrohe Kamera, jedoch einen seltsam distanzierten Regisseur. Shanley hat versucht, das Theaterpotential mit visuellen Mitteln anzureichern, jedoch hierin sieht man eine krampfhafte Theatralik und eine fehlende Endbearbeitung, wodurch die Spannung eher verlangsamt als verstärkt wird. Doch das ist Schade, denn sowohl die schauspielerischen Leistungen als auch die letzte Frage, die im Raum Hängen bleibt, hätten leicht Teil eines außergewöhnlichen Films werden können. Obgleich Glaubensfrage ein guter Film ist, wird hier nichts neu erschaffen. (25.02.2009)

Before: I have considerable doubts about whether Shanley will be able to handle such tricky material while managing to avoid falling into cheesiness, needless literalness and ecclesiastic correctness. And mainly I have doubts about Amy Adams performance alongside the Hoffman Streep duo. After: I have no doubts anymore about Amy and also I now know that it couldn’t have been written, shot and acted any better. (23.01.2009)

Interesting topic, excellent actors, but the whole thing kills it. What good is the amazing Amy Adams or the charismatic Hoffman to me if the entire premise of their actions can fit into ten minutes? Instead, I watch an hour and a half of stretched-out acting exhibition, pushed to the most absurd maximum. Occasionally, a little editing or hinting would have been enough, but no - the routine direction drags the film to an ending that ultimately undermines the whole story. It's precisely because the entire dramatic arc is a smaller deception for the audience that I have to rate it this low. (07.06.2010)

An intimate psychological drama depicting an uncompromising clash between a bigoted nun who seems to be stuck in the 19th century and a priest who acknowledges both the demands of the modern era for new ideas and methods and the fact that love for God should not be an obstacle to human relationships. The dispute is not only about the methods of pedagogical influence at the local church school and the interpretation of religious values but gradually evolves into deep personal antipathy by the nun, who begins to suspect that the priest's interest in one of her charges may not be as innocent as those around them think. Those who have no doubts can be more convincing, and therefore more successful, but some victories are Pyrrhic... The film's strength lies in its position, which leaves the viewer uncertain until the end - in other words, in doubt about what actually happened, as well as the emotionally powerful conflict between two distinct personalities, successful dialogue, and above all, exceptional acting by two major stars of contemporary American cinema. Overall impression: 90%. (18.11.2013)

I don’t know. From a Pulitzer winning story, I would have expected more than just a church song with weirdly glued-together motivations, mostly held together by the exceptional actors. The dialogues are fairly decent and the titular message works pretty intensively within a strongly unspoken and interpretively open framework, but they are nothing but shallow gimmicks of a good writer who doesn’t know how to work in the film medium or how to lead the attention of the audience. Something like this should be a lot stronger and less artificial. 60% (21.04.2020)

Es ist fast unglaublich, dass der Regisseur des Films Joe gegen den Vulkan so etwas Tolles und Zeitloses gedreht hat wie Glaubensfrage. Das versteht man einfach nicht. Auch wenn ich den Inhalt des gesamten Streifens vergessen würde, so werde ich nie die Schlussszene vergessen, die sich auf viele Momente und Ereignisse im Leben beziehen lässt. Ja, ja, Zweifel gehören zu den schlimmsten Gefühlen, die ein Mensch haben kann. (03.03.2015)

Even though I didn't want to believe it, it's an incredibly powerful movie where all three actors with the biggest roles deserve praise. Meryl is an incredibly depressing character, almost inhuman. Generally, I also like the perspective on faith and its fanaticism, which can manifest itself as a disease in some people. It's no longer about faith, but only about a person having power in their hands and using faith as a weapon to gain power. Terrifying. A beautiful example of how every church is just a breeding ground for lunatics. (21.02.2014)