Doubt and Changeling

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Doubt and Changeling

It's been quite a while since I made a film recommendation, but this week one of my readers commented that he missed the weekly variety these brought to my blog, so, drum roll if you please, Tom's Recommended Film of the Week is back! And it's a double header!

The two films I'm recommending this week really have very little in common. The tie comes in how I approached them. I picked up Doubt thinking I would be watching a period piece from the 1880's and found an excellent film of morally complicated twists and turns set in the 1960's. I sought out Changeling as a singular mystery film and found a meticulous period piece from depression era Los Angeles. Who knew?

Both films offer outstanding acting and direction, along with superior set design, costuming and props. But the real treats here are the moral wranglings of the story lines and the sly way each character represents themselves within the web each film weaves.

Interestingly the actors that drew me to each film, were not the actors from whom I drew most in watching the film. I came to Doubt for Philip Seymour Hoffman and left impressed with Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. Changeling was of interest to me for Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan and director Clint Eastwood, but I left the film very impressed by Angelina Jolie!