“Spotlight” (2015)
Director: Tom McCarthy
Starring: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
Movie Review Score: 9ish
Reviewer: Lane Fortenberry
“Spotlight” is a detailed look at how an investigative journalism team operates and how the stories begin to unfold, but it’s more importantly about the uncovering of a number of Catholic priests molesting children in the Boston area. The Spotlight team investigated the cases, victims and if the church heads knew about it, and if so, why they chose not to do anything about it.
The movie is based on the true story and the actual team, called Spotlight, which is a division of the Boston Globe. It covers the many interviews and stories the victims decided to share with Spotlight. The team begins to uncover haunting details about the church’s actions and how they chose to handle the scandals, including the cover ups. While working on the story, 9/11 occurred. We get to see the decisions the paper had to make to be sensitive to the subject. Just like in 2001, the movie shows the article published and the outcry it sparked, along with the fear it created of the church.
Featuring the ensemble of the year, “Spotlight” is perfectly told. It’s the kind of story that needs to be told. It’s a unique experience for someone who wasn’t old enough to understand the story and wasn’t told about it. This is relevant history and it’s important to pay tribute to the team who uncovered all the details and told the stories of the victims. There are scenes featuring the actors walking to various locations who see children playing in the street so close to these priests’ houses. It sends chills down our spines. It also lets everyone know how important journalism is and that audiences everywhere need newspapers and online publications to be able to read news like this.
Mark Ruffalo is the true standout here and remains to be an incredible actor, enough so he received the nod for the Supporting Actor Oscar. He’s proven time and time again he can be anyone. Rachel McAdams is also great and received the nod for Supporting Actress. Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci are all outstanding and absolutely could’ve been nominated too if there were enough spots.
“Spotlight” is the best movie of 2015 and deserves to win Best Picture. It’s a remarkable film featuring one hell of an ensemble. If there ever was an important, powerful film about something extremely relevant, this is it.
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