A Fascinating and Shocking Look into the Reporting of Horrific Events

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2019)

After I had watched this movie, I immediately understood why this was chosen as Best Picture. Beside the favouritism for relevant real-life stories at the Academy, this movie was actually meticulously written and acted, and still has a lasting impact on me today. I also regard it as one of the best crafted movies of 2015.
Acting:
Michael Keaton as "Robbie" Robertson gives a subtle and very realistic performance as the self-proclaimed coach of the Spotlight team. He is so good that what he does can actually easily be overlooked: simply portraying a real and humble reporter who gets things done and is not afraid to ask harsh things when needed. Besides that he is very charismatic and quite funny occasionally, and a strong force of acting in this ensemble.
Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes is the definition of what a more cynical person would describe as an oscar-bait actor. Ruffalo throws everything he has all at once into this performance: an excentric, passionate and nosy reporter with a lot of energy and work ethic. He nails every mannerism and quirky aspect, and gives by far the best performance in the entire movie, definitely deserving the oscar nomination.
Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer is by far the most leavel-headed and empathetic of the team, exuding warmth and compassion, yet also determination and efficiency when it comes to her job. McAdams gives a strong and realistic performance, and while not as good as Keaton and Ruffalo, she is still a force to be reckoned with.
Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron has a more plot-driven role. As an introvert yet warm new editor at the Globe, he does the best he can to steer everyone in the right direction, and is the first to suggest to tackle the scandal. Schreiber gives a good and realistic performance. but no more than servicable instead of really giving much dept.
Stanley Tucci as Mitch Garabedian is another highlight. He plays a strict and no-nonsense attorney in Boston, as one of the first people who decided to take major action against the church. Tucci gives an excellent performance, providing a surprising amount of likability to the harsh and mistrusting man.
The rest of the cast consists mostly of people being questioned/grilled by the Spotlight team, and most of them are doing great considering the little amount of time they get. Their scenes provide most of the emotional core of the story, and that is a testament to how well they do their job.
Direction:
Tom McCarthy chose to go for an efficient yet humane approach to this heavy and dense subject, providing a lot of exposition-filled scenes with grounding aspects and strong emotion. This firm grip is noticable throughout most of the movie, and works incredibly well. His work with actors is nothing short of excellent.
Cinematography:
Nothing really special, but you feel pretty quick as though you are searching to dozens of papers and computer files with the rest of the team thanks to the color pallet of grey and brown. It reflects the atmosphere of a work-space and an office building, and aids into respecting the tremendous amount of work that the Spotlight team has done.
Plot:
It is not easy to hassle so many names and dates cohesively into a movie and portraying the extend of the scandal accurately at the same time. McCarthy and Josh Singer passed with flying colors: while careful attention is needed most of the time to memorize the right names, everything fits carefully into place as the runtime goes on, and by the end all the relevations are so shocking and disgusting that you feel just like the reporters at that moment.
Music:
Coming from the man who composed the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, this is a whole step back in regards to complexity. It works however, and the simple piano tunes evoke a sadness and emptiness that quite well portrays the shock how this all could go on for years unpunished.
Editing:
Just like the cinematography, nothing special, but it does the job. All the events feel very streamlined and efficiently put together, avoiding the danger of this movie becoming stale and dragging. That is quality editing.
Production Design:
The interior of the globe and the homes of Boston feel real and lived in, without seemingly much effort. You could walk right in and never notice that a movie would be shot here in a few minutes. The best design is paradoxically the one that doesn't draw your attention.
Tone:
While a lot of the time it can feel dry and heavy due to the enormous amount of information and characters, the actors and emotional story-threads help a lot to give the necessary humanity and feelings that come with such a shocking scandal. By the third act, you are simply filled with disgust and grief.
Overal Consensus:
With the aid of a great cast, writing and subject material, this is a movie that needs to be seen and remembered, especially since the scandal is far from over more than 15 years later. 8.5/10