Top 25 Countdown - No. 12


Today I continue my Top 25 Countdown with a fantastic film based on a stage play.

No. 12 - Doubt (2008)
Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, and Viola Davis
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Quote: "There are people who go after your humanity, Sister, that tell you that the light in your heart is a weakness. Don't believe it. It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue." - Father Flynn
About: This is one of the newer films on the list, but it's one of the best. The original title of the stage play, also written by Shanley, is "Doubt: A Parable." This is a fantastic film and a fantastic story, and one that some people didn't really get. When this film debuted, I kept hearing that it was a story about the Catholic sex abuse scandal. "Spotlight" is a film about the Catholic sex abuse scandal. "Doubt" is about a fundamental ideology of faith. Yes, part of the story surrounds a nun's suspicion that a priest may have molested a boy. But this film never attempts to say definitively whether he did or did not do it. That's not the point of the story. Sister Aloysuis (Streep) views faith and the church in a very specific way. That point of view is challenged by Father Flynn (Hoffman). That leads to a central conflict between them that is completely fascinating and compelling. There are so many beautiful things in this film, but my favorite is a tender scene between Hoffman and Adams that includes a beautiful profession of the heart of the Gospel and the modern church. This was my favorite film the year it came out, and it endures today as one of my favorites. If you're a Christian, this is a must-see film.
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material

Top 25 Countdown:
13. Way of the Gun (2000)
14. Heat (1995)
15. The Paper (1994)
16. Watchmen (2009)
17. LA Confidential (1997)
18. Serenity (2005)
19. Children of Men (2006)
20. Miller's Crossing (1990)
21. About Schmidt (2002)
22. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
23. The Matrix (1999)
24. Independence Day (1996)
25. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

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