Credit: Netflix

Funny how The Devil Wears Prada does a full circle every few years and reminds everyone that Meryl Streep isn’t just good. She is operating on a different level. And with part two already in theatres, soon everyone will be searching for more of her cinema to watch.

So we just thought of lending you a hand and bringing one of her old classics to your remembrance. While we see Meryl as a confident and a bit scary boss lady in The Devil Wears Prada. Now, Doubt does the opposite. There is no glamour, only tension.

Set in a Catholic school in the Bronx during the early 1960s, Doubt has Streep playing Sister Aloysius Beauvier. She runs the place with discipline that borders on severity, with every rule observed and every detail accounted for. Opposite her stands Father Flynn, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, a priest whose manner is far more open, more modern. It’s not merely a clash of personalities, but it’s a clash of philosophies.

The whole situation flips when Sister James, played by Amy Adams, notices something odd involving Father Flynn and a student named Donald Miller, the only Black boy in the school. Now, she is not coming in with a full accusation. No sir! It’s more like an instinct that we have when something doesn’t sit right. But that’s enough for Sister Aloysius.

And once she gets that idea in her head, she goes all in. Starts questioning Father Flynn, pushing for answers, trying to catch him out. The problem is, she doesn’t have solid proof yet. Just working on suspicion. And that’s where the film really takes off, because you are watching her build a case based on instinct, all while Father Flynn pushes back, defending himself.

So you’re stuck in the middle of it. One side is absolutely convinced that something is wrong, while the other insists it isn’t. And the film never spoon-feeds you to tell who is right. You are just watching these confrontations and conversations, all while trying to decide where you stand.

There is also a very crucial moment with Donald’s mother, played by Viola Davis, which changes things a bit. She is not focused on the accusation in the same way; instead, she is thinking about her son’s future. Basically, what matters in the bigger picture. It complicates everything, but it is such a great scene.

Did you know that Doubt began as a stage play, written and directed for the screen by John Patrick Shanley? And you can feel that precision throughout because here, dialogues get more focus, and you are forced to read between the lines. It demands attention, a lot of it, but not in a bad way. It does it in a way that expects you to listen carefully.

The film might not have received a boatload of awards, but it was definitely praised by both critics and viewers. All four lead performers: Streep, Hoffman, Adams, and Viola Davis received Academy Award nominations. Davis, in particular, appears for a short time yet leaves a deep impression. Imagine how good a cameo has to be that it received an Academy Award nomination?

Are you still wondering why Doubt works so well as a follow-up watch? You see, after the sharp brilliance of The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt offers something far more austere, especially Meryl Streep. Its beauty lies in the simplicity and complexity. So yes, if you still have Meryl Streep’s fever, Doubt is the obvious next step.