An Experience

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2016)

I am so grateful to have had an opportunity to view this film. I simply Googled for the best film of 2015 and its name came up. It became obvious to me why this is the top ranked film once I watched it.
Spotlight takes up a very sensitive and attention demanding issue, and then deals with it with the perfect momentum. I need not narrate the script here, so I'll go into my appreciation of the thoughtfulness in every feature of the film.
The first feature is the mundane realism of the film. It does not make a single attempt at glamour. I felt I was looking into an actual magazine office, with real journalists and editors. Yet, the film is not a boring, slow paced documentary. It keeps elements of discovery intact, and right along with the journalists, the viewers keep experiencing the unfolding of the plot.
The next commendable feature is the story itself, which is given weightage to by the new editor of Spotlight in the film, and by the makers in reality. A bitter truth is at the helm of this film, one that should have never been ignored to begin with. A mass denial is the focus here, exemplary of society's reluctance to come to terms with its disorder , no matter how prevalent it is. Spotlight is not simply about the abuse of young children, it represents every humane issue that deserves spotlight.
The next noteworthy feature is that the characterization is true to life. Nobody is a protagonist or an antagonist. Nobody has ulterior motives. The victims are frustrated and shaken, but have moved on in life, the perpetrators are guiltless, and the journalists are distanced yet affected. They are up against competition while determined to aid the victims at the same time.
Performers are splendid, with a flow to them. None of the actors make their characters seem unfamiliar. There are no emotions that are unseen in real life. There are no personalities that we haven't met before. The editor is very contained like the work focused, no nonsense managers we meet. The senior journalist is farsighted while the field journalists have a difficult time relaxing their emotions. All very believable.
I can keep on admiring this film, for it is an experience more than an expression. As a psychology student, I recommend this film to every sensitive soul out there. Finally a film made for us.