There have been several features - mainly documentaries - focused on child abuse in the Catholic church, Deliver Us From Evil & Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God being two notable ones. Spotlight is the first excellent docudrama to take on the subject matter. With a strong ensemble and in the hands of Director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) there’s no wonder it’s been a talking point in the film community.
The year is 2001 and the effects of digital media are starting to hit The Boston Globe. They hire a new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) who wants to distinguish the newspaper from others by providing stories that the readers need to hear. He turns his attention to the “Spotlight” team, a group of reporters headed by Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) that complete rigorous investigations, taking up to a year to get published. Baron reads a short report on John Geoghan, a paedophile priest who claims the Archbishop Cardinal Law (Len Cariou) knew about the abuse and covered it up. Baron asks the Spotlight team to consider the story, but as they begin investigations, it becomes clear that they’re not just dealing with one priest.
It’s the time of the year where we get all the Oscar-tailored films come out, and boy is Spotlight a breath of fresh air. It’s an ensemble piece with big-name actors, yet none of them are trying to out-do each other, none of them feel like celebrities with a thin-veneer of humanity for a disguise, and apart from perhaps one scene - which certainly serves a purpose - McCarthy doesn’t sugar-coat the film with dramatic Oscar-winning moments. Spotlight is about a team of exceptional yet humble reporters attempting to uncover shocking revelations, and the investigation takes centre stage.
McCarthy has acted in Law & Order and The Wire where he must have picked up some tips because Spotlight is one of the most rigorous investigative dramas we’ve seen in recent years. Details are crucial and much like the Spotlight team themselves, we’re thrown into the dark as information comes at us from all angles. People talk fast in this film and often mumble (I’m looking at you Ruffalo) but after the first twenty-or-so minutes you get used to it. This is such a wide and complex investigation to fit into two-hours that it almost thrives on exposition, but because of the nature of the content and the astoundingly well-written dialogue, it just works.
I’ve seen people compare this to the documentary form and in a surreal way this kind of does feel like the real events unfolding before your eyes. The understated acting, straightforward cinematography and brutally honest depictions remove the fourth wall and place you in the film as if you’re another member of the team. At parts, the investigation slows to a grind and it makes you frustrated. The 9/11 attacks occur during the period and all the reporters have to switch their focus, further delaying the release of the report. For a film that’s structured for detail and information, there’s a remarkable amount of suspense throughout.
There's really not a lot more to say about Spotlight. It isn’t the sort of film you go to for entertainment, but it definitely holds your attention. It’s not designed to win acting awards, but it has fantastic performances. It’s procedural drama at its best and absolutely required viewing.
