I had no idea what Spotlight was about until a few weeks ago, when I finally caught a preview for it, and saw what would appear to be a well-meaning but obvious crusade film against pedophile priests. Boy did I misread that preview. Spotlight is a superb examination of journalism in action, the best since All the President’s Men, and one of the finest films of the year.
Tom McCarthy’s film is based on the actual events leading to the Boston Globe doing an in-depth investigation of Catholic Church cover-ups in 2002. Only, it doesn’t begin that way; it begins with a single column and a new general manager (Liev Schreiber) who thinks that column’s subject may only display the tip of the iceberg. The Globe’s “Spotlight” investigative team (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Brian d’Arcy James) is assigned to snag a deeper story, if one is to be found. And it is only because of their insistent digging that the truth about the Church’s protection of its own became a global news story.
Its focus on journalism, and the impact that this brutal subject has on the reporters, is razor sharp. The story itself is astonishing — that so many people chose to ignore and even bury the abuse children were suffering — to maintain a public perception. Aspects of perception windmill throughout the script: activists against sex abuse are said to be crazy people, yet the reporters find them to be not only cogent but persuasive; cops and officials who should no better turn blind eyes to the victims; the newspaper which should be searching for the truth has the information for years but does nothing with it. The many ironies are painful and heartbreaking, and I think the film actually soft sells its case — people actually died because they couldn’t deal with the abuse.
Spotlight is not a flashy movie, nor is it high-concept. It realistically presents a real-world situation without overdramatizing it or spinning the facts to whip up viewer emotions. It is a nearly great film with superb acting by everyone involved that may be the best movie I have seen this year. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆. 5 December 2015.