DVD Release/Available to stream
*****
In 2001, 'Spotlight', a team of investigative journalists at The Boston Globe, uncovered the huge abuse scandal that the Boston Catholic Archdiocese had kept hidden for years.
It seems strange to us now, but at one point there was a time when the story of Catholic priests abusing children wasn't part of the public conscience. Based on the Pulitzer-winning investigation, Spotlight reaches back into 2001 and the key work done by journalists to launch the crimes of the Church into the public sphere, and not just in Boston. Today, we have heard a plethora of stories relating to this systemic abuse - so many, in fact, that the articles aren't even front page news anymore. It's to the immense credit of writer/director Tom McCarthy, then, that Spotlight manages to shock us all over again.
Spotlight is not an action-packed film. Reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing, it centres on a group of highly intelligent people talking about a serious issue in measured, restrained tones. I can think of only one instance in the film where a character raises their voice, which makes that particular scene all the more powerful. There is no fighting, there are no gunshots, explosions or car chases, and yet the act of people flicking through books and circling key bits of information is strangely gripping. Yes, I admit it - 'gripping' seems an odd word to describe a film such as this, but such is the impeccable pacing and camera work of Spotlight that the tension is almost palpable. An unerring sense of foreboding and threat hangs over the investigative team from the very start, and McCarthy's masterful direction and script (co-written by Josh Singer of The West Wing fame) leaves the viewer with an undeniable feeling of urgency too. I didn't expect to feel such a nervous response.
The film itself is an understated one, which makes it all the more remarkable that it picked up the Best Picture gong at the Academy Awards. The exemplary cast (boasting the likes of Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci) work as an ensemble throughout - no one is the main character, and none of the actors dominate any one given scene. Downplayed and the opposite of glamorous, we feel as though we're watching real journalists, not actors. Their shock, disgust and disbelief is mirrored in ourselves as we remember the first time we heard of these abuse cases - there are some moments that will make you gasp, and others that will make your blood boil.
The very antithesis of a loud, CGI-heavy, action-packed, superhero Hollywood outing, Spotlight acts as a vessel to reinform its audience of the severity of the scandal at the very heart of the Catholic Church. Understated and downplayed, a taut, intelligent script and observational camera combine effortlessly to make this important film into a gripping, distressing watch.
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