Doubt

2008's flavour this may be, but topical it sure is. As the Roman Catholic Church once more tries to contain controversy relating to child abuse by its priests, award-winning Doubt manages in its understated way to illuminate the quiet horror of what goes on in some parishes to this day. Uncovered in many cases, but not wholly ignored: in a 1960s Bronx parish school, uber-strict Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) and na�ve Sister James (Amy Adams) struggle to determine just what likeable Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is upto with Donald Miller, the school's only black student. It starts slow, but builds to a troubling climax. 3.5/5

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Ne te retourne pas (Don't look back)

Jeanne (Sophie Marceau) begins to notice things are a little different. More than a little different; she can't recognise her home anymore, then her own family, and pretty soon she herself begins to morph into someone else (Monica Belluci). There's dark childhood history to be delved into here. A tantalising prospect? This 2009 French psychological thriller promises much but falls rather flat. It's not just the double whammy of Sophie Marceau and Monica Belluci who fail to deliver, it's the entire premise that's ridiculous, and no amount of redemptive psychobabble can salvage this mess. 2.5/5

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