A Powerfully Real Film

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2016)

At the end of this film a list of all the similar cases as explored in this film come up on screen and I was shocked to see so many places near my home town come up. But that's the best thing about this film the fact that it stays with you, all the disturbing things you see or hear off in this film leaves an impression on its viewer that makes you realise the importance of the story these journalists are trying to tell. The Spotlight team themselves are very well realised, there not put on a pedestal as heroes but instead as people trying to tell a story and there subtle reactions to the horrors they are investigating fell real not just like it was done to add to the horrors. This film is an ensemble piece there's no one main character in this film but instead they all bounce of each other and work together well as a unit and there is not a bad performance in sight. Mark Ruffalo is proving to me more and more that he is becoming one of today's best actors, he has such a great character arc to him and when his scene where he explodes with anger feels very well earned. Rachel McAdams was also very good in this film, she had some truly hard to watch scenes where she interviews some of the victims and she keeps her vulnerability yet cool head at all times that make her a more believable character. Up until the year before with Birdman, Michael Keaton has never really impressed me outside of his Batman movies but here he was fantastic, very convincing as are the rest of the cast, through his performance we understand that's he more experienced in this field than most. Tom McCarthy directed this film beautifully, he has a very specific style about him where he keeps the camera in the same position for long periods of time and direction like this in my experience usually makes the film bland, but because of the brilliant performances and story I was never anything less than intrigued, the best shot in this film though was a long tracking shot that followed the reporters down the street to discover one of the people they are investigating lives nearby and it added a more personal touch to the main characters. But my biggest and really only issue with this movie is it conclusion, the film just ends so abruptly and I wanted to see more of the after effects of such a story.
Spotlight is a brilliant movie, it's not always easy to watch but it's got a very gripping and powerful story behind it and has got amazing performances and will relate to more people than anyone would care to admit.
92%/A