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A Reel Life film section
Issue: Summer 2015-6
Spotlight (2015) movie review
Spotlight on Scandal
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Movie poster, Spotlight
Break the Story. Break the Silence.
Based on 30 years of research: 50% of all priests have had sex with an adult. 6% have had sex with a minor.
A film that makes a serious effort to truthfully tell the story of the Pulitzer Prize winning investigation. This is the story of how journalists in a Catholic town investigated allegations of sexual child abuse and the systemic efforts of the Catholic hierarchy to conceal it, moving instead of removing offending priests.
"... as of 2002, the incidence of pedophilia in the Catholic Church was around 6%, which is in line with the general population...The efforts by some members of the church to cover up the abuse is what makes it perhaps significantly more tragic.
- Catholic Church abuse victim Phil Saviano interviewed by Bill O'Reilly
When Boston Globe's new editor Marty Baron said he wanted the Spotlight team to follow up the story on child abuse by the clergy, he wanted the team to look at the system, not necessarily individual priests. Boston was a particularly sensitive area because the Catholic Church is such a political power there.
The church had shuffled some of the predatory clergy from parish to parish to help prevent their crimes from being exposed
- Walter Robinson in an interview with Variety.com
Spotlight is a newsroom drama, it follows a long-form journalism investigation that takes the time to do the research, find and interview victims and perpetrators, and petition the courts for sealed documents.
Maybe this doesn't sound very exciting, but Spotlight is a compelling drama. Without histrionics it shows the toll on victims, the horror and heartbreak of the journalists, and the tired, endlessly working lawyer.
Hours later I wanted to see this film again. I can't wait until it comes out on own-your-own. It is compelling. Flawlessly paced, beautifully acted, brilliantly written in an understated style that sneaks up on you.
This is a movie about people, and an issue, and as an aside it makes the audience wonder what we might lose if this type of long-form investigative journalism is lost.
Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) in a scene from SPOTLIGHT, directed by Tom McCarthy.
This is not Michael Keaton's first newsroom drama. He was excellent in The Paper. His editor Walter Robinson in Spotlight is a different man. but just as determined.
There has been a lot of noise about The Revenant, but this is the film about trial and struggle. This is the film that will haunt you. Spotlight is the clear example of the best of the filmmaker's art.
Go see it.
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by Ali Kayn History vs Hollywood on Spotlight |
Just the facts:Title: Spotlight (2015) The Players: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci Official website: http://www.spotlightthefilm.com IMDb entry For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section. For more information about this movie, check out the internet movie database (IMDb). |
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Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 
Filed: 12-Jan-2016