Spotlight

Spotlight

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber

Directed by Tom McCarthy

The Story:
In 2001, The Boston Globe's Spotlight team is led by editor Robby Robinson (Michael Keaton), and reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and Matty Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James).  All of them are Boston born and bred, as is most of the Globe team, including deputy editor Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery).  When editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), a man not born in Boston, comes on board as the new editor, he brings to light a small column in the Globe about the Boston archdiocese's inauspicious handling of various abuse cases, and wants the Spotlight team to fully investigate it.

As the Spotlight team delves deeper into the controversy, they discover that this goes far beyond one priest who violated young church boys, and leads all the way to the highest Cardinal in the area, as well as several other priests and the Catholic church as a whole.  In a time where the Catholic church reigned supreme, and stopped at nothing to keep their dark secrets buried, the Spotlight team will stop at nothing to shed light on the darkness and stop the abuse no matter the cost.

The Summary:
Throughout history, the Catholic church has reigned supreme.  It's served not just as the spiritual center of most people, but in most cases even served as judge, jury, and executioner.  In 2001, the Catholic church still ruled with an iron fist, and spent most of their time hiding its dark underbelly of perpetual sexual abuse on the young children under their care.

"Spotlight" is that rare film that reminds us what the media used to be.  They used to stop at nothing to find the truth, and would go to great lengths to find and uncover it.  Nowadays the media is used as a simple platitude, using small sound bites to create entire stories.  The newspaper industry is even worse, with lack of subscriptions and questionable integrity issues.  That wasn't the case in 2001, as the Spotlight team left no stone unturned, no T uncrossed.  In many ways, the film is reminiscent of other fantastic pieces like "All The President's Men," "Network," "Broadcast News" and "Frost/Nixon" that showcase what it really means to be a true journalist.

The story itself is no easy read, but something that had to be told.  As the reporters interviewed the victims (or, as many people in the film repeated, "the lucky ones"), they break down from their tough exteriors as they're reminded of the personal hell they went through at the hands of those they held in high spiritual regard.  Secrets they were forced to keep bubble to the surface, and that's the only way they can truly heal from their ordeal.

As the Awards season begins, "Spotlight" is being heralded as one of the best, and will more than likely earn several Academy Award nominations.  I predict it will be nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), and Best Screenplay.  We'll see if my predictions are true, and if they're not, it's a shame.  Because "Spotlight" deserves nominations in all these categories, as it's a fantastic detective story in the old guise of "President's Men" that keeps you riveted to the screen from start to finish, and leaves you with a sense of feeling for the reporters, as well as the victims themselves.

Because of the Spotlight team's unrelenting investigation, it caused ripples throughout the Catholic church, and had a lasting impact.  Even Pope Francis has spoken out and renounced not just the priests who performed the heinous acts, but against those who've covered it up all these decades.  The film shows how a small group of people with an unrelenting resolve can change the world.

The Summary:
"Spotlight" is that rare true-life film that hits the mark in every aspect, and becomes a film that's demanded to be seen.

The Score: A+