This year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Picture are all great films, but the Academy overlooked two obvious choices in “The Wrestler” and “Doubt.” Both stand above some of their peers in the excellence and focus of their execution.

“Doubt”

“Doubt” tells a simple story with huge vivacity. What could have been trite and pandering is made engaging and provocative by a sharp script- whose dramatic source won a Pulitzer Prize- and gifted actors.

The story takes place in a Bronx Catholic school in the mid-1960s. It stars Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn, who Sister Aloysius accuses of molesting a student. It also stars Amy Adams as Sister James, a mild, good-hearted woman who is shaken by Sister Aloysius’ harsh certainty.

Streep commands attention with a rough, stoic character willing to reject the church in service of her beliefs. Her performance suggests great uncertainty hidden under great strength. Hoffman lends his character inviting warmth that hides deep flaws. Characters that may be lying are hard to play, and Hoffman does it not only believably, but in such a way that makes the audience uncertain. The battle between these two characters is riveting.

John Patrick Shanley, who wrote the stage play, directs the actors with a surprisingly subtle hand. While there are one or two moments that approach histrionics, “Doubt” does not come off as particularly stagy. The film generates immense interest and energy with few locations and little action. Shanley knows the language of film as well as any other film director, allowing faces to communicate emotion rather than obvious dialogue. Shanley also does not resort to camera tricks to conjure interest. Roger Deakins’ restrained cinematography draws little attention and remains dedicated to the demands of the story. The set design is simple and surprisingly ugly, favoring realism over a heightened sheen.

The script is close to flawless. It bears no excess and constantly provokes. The dialogue is succinct and focused, sharply defining each character. Films with a great cast and crew often succeed despite flaws in the script, but in this case, the strength of the writing makes “Doubt” something truly great.