Spotlight (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Spotlight' (directed by Tom McCarthy, Win Win) tells the fascinating true crime story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation team that revealed a systemic cover-up of pedophile priests by the Roman Catholic Church. This example of institutional conspiracy protected said pedophiles by moving them from parish to parish, rather than shedding light on their detestable behavior. In 2001, following the arrival of new editor-in-chief, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), the Boston Globe's internal investigative team called Spotlight - led by Walter 'Robby' Robinson (Michael Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James), among others - pursued allegations of cover-ups of sexual abuse within the Massachusetts Catholic Church. In a city like Boston, where the Catholic Church seems to dominate ALL, it's a tall order to shake-up such a sturdy institution. So, it would take a whole lotta digging for these reporters to make a conclusive & damning story about said priests.
At first, the main allegation was against one priest (a subject the Boston Globe had ignored for some time under pressure from Cardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou) & the Archdiocese of Boston). Howwwever, Team Spotlight soon discovers that it's not an isolated incident concerning just "1" priest. After further poking, the team learns that the number of possible priests was not 1, or the eventual 4, nor even the startling 13, but up to 90(!) in the area ... and beyond. It appears that many claims had been privately 'settled' by Church attorney Eric MacLeish (a snake-like Billy Crudup). And further opposition stems from the soul-crushing fact that incriminating paperwork has also been sealed by complicit judges! After following leads, interviewing scores of victims, berating lawyers, & devoting tiresome months to the effort, Spotlight finally broke/wrote the story in early 2002; a story that swept across America and even triggered other nations of the world into discovering their own cases of systemic priest pedophilia within the Catholic Church.
'Spotlight' is one of those rare films in which I could say there is literally nothing literally "wrong" with it. Tom McCarthy's direction may not be flamboyant, but it is crisp & assured -- he doesn't milk anything for melodrama. The writing is top-notch (stellar dialogue, good scene construction & execution). And this film is edited to perfection. There is no 'fat' that could be trimmed anywhere. Every single moment feels true. Everything makes sense. Nothing feels superfluous. Every character interaction feels organic. Every scene matters. You know how in nearly every movie you watch, there is always that 'one' moment or that 'one' scene or that 'one' stretch of dialogue or that 'one' shot where you might think, "eh, that was odd" or "that was misplaced" ... NONE of that in this movie. I can’t recall another film like that right now -- that's pretty remarkable.
Highlighting the importance of investigative journalism, this film will be loved & admired by many. 'Spotlight' is unique - in a way - because it focuses on the actual painstaking PROCESS of nailing the RCC, rather than the "yes, we got 'em!" component of the story. The PROCESS brings the dramatic tension in the story, not any particular BIG reveal. Major things occur in the newsroom, not necessarily the church or a courtroom. Even the characters are secondary. We know little about them outside of their work. But that doesn't matter because we see how passionate, professional, & dedicated they are to this case. Credit must go to the entire cast, who brings a level of naturalism & verisimilitude to the proceedings that I haven't seen in a long time -- this is exquisite ensemble acting. Michael Keaton & Mark Ruffalo give compelling portrayals. And the rest, including Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery (as editor Ben Bradlee Jr.), & the wonderful Stanley Tucci (as victims' lawyer Mitchell Garabedian) are effectively low-key in their portrayals. Everyone rivets, without doing anything showy.
'Spotlight' is a David vs. Goliath story about how the professionalism of one group of devoted people (Spotlight, here) can break through barriers to strike at a seemingly impenetrable institution (like the Catholic Church). Told without many flourishes {some viewers may crave a more traditionally melodramatic unfolding}, this film - instead - relies on strong, straightforward storytelling, those superb performances, & its insistent pace (having flown by for me, I couldn't believe the film was over when it was). It's a thought-provoking movie, too; I had an in-depth conversation with a friend after our screening about the relevance of this story, about pedophilia, about mental illness & treatment, about the questioning of (blind) faith, about the positives that the Catholic Church offers, about the devastating dangers of that same Institution, about the importance of journalistic reporting, about what's right, what's wrong, the grey areas, et al. One thing's for sure, people: without Spotlight (and other examples of heroic journalism), I wonder how many future injustices might have gone undetected ... destined to lurk in the shadows forever.
At first, the main allegation was against one priest (a subject the Boston Globe had ignored for some time under pressure from Cardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou) & the Archdiocese of Boston). Howwwever, Team Spotlight soon discovers that it's not an isolated incident concerning just "1" priest. After further poking, the team learns that the number of possible priests was not 1, or the eventual 4, nor even the startling 13, but up to 90(!) in the area ... and beyond. It appears that many claims had been privately 'settled' by Church attorney Eric MacLeish (a snake-like Billy Crudup). And further opposition stems from the soul-crushing fact that incriminating paperwork has also been sealed by complicit judges! After following leads, interviewing scores of victims, berating lawyers, & devoting tiresome months to the effort, Spotlight finally broke/wrote the story in early 2002; a story that swept across America and even triggered other nations of the world into discovering their own cases of systemic priest pedophilia within the Catholic Church.
'Spotlight' is one of those rare films in which I could say there is literally nothing literally "wrong" with it. Tom McCarthy's direction may not be flamboyant, but it is crisp & assured -- he doesn't milk anything for melodrama. The writing is top-notch (stellar dialogue, good scene construction & execution). And this film is edited to perfection. There is no 'fat' that could be trimmed anywhere. Every single moment feels true. Everything makes sense. Nothing feels superfluous. Every character interaction feels organic. Every scene matters. You know how in nearly every movie you watch, there is always that 'one' moment or that 'one' scene or that 'one' stretch of dialogue or that 'one' shot where you might think, "eh, that was odd" or "that was misplaced" ... NONE of that in this movie. I can’t recall another film like that right now -- that's pretty remarkable.
Highlighting the importance of investigative journalism, this film will be loved & admired by many. 'Spotlight' is unique - in a way - because it focuses on the actual painstaking PROCESS of nailing the RCC, rather than the "yes, we got 'em!" component of the story. The PROCESS brings the dramatic tension in the story, not any particular BIG reveal. Major things occur in the newsroom, not necessarily the church or a courtroom. Even the characters are secondary. We know little about them outside of their work. But that doesn't matter because we see how passionate, professional, & dedicated they are to this case. Credit must go to the entire cast, who brings a level of naturalism & verisimilitude to the proceedings that I haven't seen in a long time -- this is exquisite ensemble acting. Michael Keaton & Mark Ruffalo give compelling portrayals. And the rest, including Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery (as editor Ben Bradlee Jr.), & the wonderful Stanley Tucci (as victims' lawyer Mitchell Garabedian) are effectively low-key in their portrayals. Everyone rivets, without doing anything showy.
'Spotlight' is a David vs. Goliath story about how the professionalism of one group of devoted people (Spotlight, here) can break through barriers to strike at a seemingly impenetrable institution (like the Catholic Church). Told without many flourishes {some viewers may crave a more traditionally melodramatic unfolding}, this film - instead - relies on strong, straightforward storytelling, those superb performances, & its insistent pace (having flown by for me, I couldn't believe the film was over when it was). It's a thought-provoking movie, too; I had an in-depth conversation with a friend after our screening about the relevance of this story, about pedophilia, about mental illness & treatment, about the questioning of (blind) faith, about the positives that the Catholic Church offers, about the devastating dangers of that same Institution, about the importance of journalistic reporting, about what's right, what's wrong, the grey areas, et al. One thing's for sure, people: without Spotlight (and other examples of heroic journalism), I wonder how many future injustices might have gone undetected ... destined to lurk in the shadows forever.