Engrossing Procedural Drama on the Catholic Abuse Scandal

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2016)

I had no real interest in SPOTLIGHT. I wasn't even really aware of it until it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. I have been making more of an effort to watch the Best Picture nominees over the past few years because I figure I needed more exposure to whatever Hollywood considered the crème de la crème of the year's releases. Plus it's a nice break from the summer blockbusters and occasional indie film my local stores decide to keep on hand. Now that I've seen SPOTLIGHT, I can vouch that it's a fantastically interesting movie. I don't know that I would've gone so far as to award it Best Picture at the biggest of movie award shows, especially over some of the other options, but it's certainly good. It's the story of the Spotlight team, a small crew of investigative journalists at the Boston Globe, and how they ran the article exposing years of child sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests and, more importantly, how the Church was aware and actively covered it up in a massive conspiracy. Based on the true story, it begins with a new editor assuming command of the Globe in 2001 and requesting that the Spotlight team run a follow-up on the case of a local Boston priest who'd been busted as a pedophile. The reporters quickly discover that this situation is far more extensive and disturbing than anticipated, and they drive forward to see just how deep this scandal goes.
SPOTLIGHT is a talking-heads movie. Scene to scene, it goes from one conversation to another. Each scene delivers another tidbit of information or dramatizes the struggle to get confirmation from sources. We're watching two people chat in an office, then a handful of people in a boardroom, and then two people in a diner. What I'm saying is that SPOTLIGHT isn't exactly visually stimulating. It's a two-hour procedural that would've been just as at home serving as a (high quality) two-part episode on some primetime network drama. This is a movie about the importance of the story it's recapping and the performances that bring it to life. I was not raised religious and my family certainly wasn't Catholic so I never had one of those "It could've been me" moments that really drive the point home, but this is a powerfully told story that really emphasizes the plight of the victims. As the movie unfolds, the team makes contact with more and more victims who reluctantly share stories they've never told anyone. It's heartbreaking, all the more so because it's true. The more the Spotlight team uncovers, the more we learn of the scandal, the more engaged I became in the film. SPOTLIGHT is a talking-heads movie in which I found it impossible to be bored. By the time the film ends on those final title cards that remind us which cities have noted priest abuse scandals, I was at terrified of the scope and proud of the reporters' accomplishments.
As is usually the case for films of this caliber, it's loaded with talent. Kudos to Michael Keaton for being involved in the Best Picture winner two years in a row with this and last year's amazing BIRDMAN. Keaton portrays the Spotlight team's editor, Robby. He's joined by Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Brian d'Arcy James in filling out the team. The new editor in charge of the Globe, Marty Baron, is played to low-key perfection by Liev Schreiber and the team's primary point of contact on the priest investigation is a small-time lawyer processing multiple suits against the Church played by Stanley Tucci. Top notch all around. So no matter what's going on, you're getting a performance that, were it not part of an ensemble piece, probably would've garnered more accolades. Writer/director Tom McCarthy packs an enormous amount of drama into these two hours and it's mesmerizing to watch the Spotlight crew but heads with the powerful elite. Boston, as I've discovered, is a very Catholic city and the concept of taking on the Church in such a location meant a lot of pressurenot just from the local religious figureheads, but from the residents themselves. Oh, there you go: it's a David vs. Goliath scenario. See, I managed to shoehorn a religious analogy in there. Anyway, go watch SPOTLIGHT. It deserved to be a top contender (perhaps not a winner) of the year and it's most exciting film you'll watch where the weapons are notepads, pens, and tape recorders.