Reviews

Doubting Thomas is centred around a white man whose world turns to chaos after his wife gives birth to a black baby. He eventually begins to suspect his wife Jen may have cheated on him with his best friend Ron, a black man. It's later revealed that his wife is actually mixed race, but Thomas' actions might've lost him everything. Doubting Thomas is a difficult movie to sit trough, not just because of its haphazard social commentary, but because of how insulting it is to its lead and the viewer.

Very few characters in this movie feel like actual people. Jen and Ron seem particularly unempathetic towards Thomas despite being witness to how others view his ordeal. From the party where jokes about Jen's heritage and comments about adoption were made or people genuinely believing Ron was the father, it's hard to think his wife and best friend couldn't understand the pain he would've been going through. Was he not supposed to trust his own eyes? Yes, Thomas wasn't saintly in his doubt, but does that negate decades of friendship when those things were clearly said during a difficult time? Were neither of them capable of reflecting on how their relationship, absent of Thomas, might look to other people?

Jen is just outright an unlikeable character. Her relationship with Thomas feels cold from the get go. There's a scene early on where she accosts him for cursing in front of their newborn child. Some weeks after, she commits the same offense in front of the kid while on a lunch date with Ron. No problem there. The ending reveal that Jen had secretly done a DNA test but kept that hidden to instead test her husband's faith and willingness to be a parent is genuinely cruel. That must be why it seems like nobody but those those related to her and Thomas enjoys this woman's company. Seriously, watch the movie. Jen has no friends of her own. Even her parents (who are within driving distance) no show their grandchild's birth and aren't seen for half of the movie.

Speaking of Jen's parents, her mother must be where this insane behavior was inherited from. Aided by the worst performance in the movie, she's almost a villain. She scolds her husband on why her ex being a black man shouldn't have been a big deal ... while deliberately hiding that fact from him for 30+ years and as the ramifications of it it tears apart her daughter's family. She says it doesn't matter and didn't feel like her daughter needed to know ... yet keeps a picture of the man in her purse and vividly recalls mundane events 30+ years later. No self-awareness. If she really feared her husband would've disproved of that, what was her plan if Jen didn't turn out to be white passing?

Which brings up the casting. The individual responsible for this movie did not look for authenticity. From what I've been able to tell, the actress playing Jen is not a mixed race woman. Presumably, if they did cast a more ambiguous performer, the audience and Thomas would've been more likely to believe there wasn't anything fishy going on. The casting issues don't end there. While we don't know Thomas' family history, the implication is that Liam should be roughly 75% European. I'm not looking up the kids they cast in that role, but I strongly doubt any of them match that. Melanin usually takes weeks to develop in a newborn. Even kids born to fully black couples can come out pale, yet newborn Liam is almost as dark as can be.

Then we get to the "inspired by a true story" part. I'm sure most are aware that is usually a marketing gimmick that has little to do with reality. That's the case here, too. The only part of Doubting Thomas the producers claim is linked to a true story is the death of a black man by the police. You know, the single line Jen's mom blurts out like 90% through the movie. That is definitely not misleading. As far as I can tell, every other part of the story is a work of fiction.

The only positive I have to say is that it had acceptable production values. There were few sets and actors to go with them, but it didn't look like I could've made it with my friends in a weekend. I don't remember a single piece of music, but I guess that means it didn't offend me. I'm really struggling to find anything positive here.

Parents will be happy to know that this is a completely innocent film. No obnoxious pop music. No innuendos. No exhaustive toy line to promote to kids. Some of the kids are annoying, though. The spiciest thing is a child uttering "Timbuktu " in frustration, as well as some irresponsible pet ownership. It does not require any knowledge of prior Conni material (it's a German novel series that's been adapted previously into film and TV shows) either.

Nothing here is a standout. The visuals are serviceable at best, but the animation is stiff. The music is decently forgettable. The cast of actors (in the English version) do well for the most part.

The story is where things fall apart. It's too simple to sustain its runtime. There are no stakes. An obvious b-plot is never addressed (do Conni's parents not notice the family cat has been missing for days?) and a plot thread regarding Luca's fear of abandonment was just left untouched.

The character writing is weak. Conni is a brat at the start and is still a brat at the end. Yes, Luca does become less anti-social, but the reason why he was that way in the first place wasn't solved. His point about the kids going back home and forgetting him is still very much true. The other characters simply exist.

In short, younger children might be distracted by the animal antics to sit through the movie's runtime, but everyone else will feel like it's already too long at 80 minutes.