A Gem to Rival "All the President's Men"

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2016)

I finally saw this film a few hours before tonight's Academy Awards broadcast. I had a feeling that it had the chops to win the big one. Many of my friends have been touting it. It takes a truly skilled director and screenwriter to entice an audience to watch something where they already know the result. We are made aware of the foothold of the Catholic Church in the city of Boston. When a new news director comes on board, he feeds the need for an investigation into priest misconduct to the Spotlight team, a group of hard core reporters who are unyielding in their persistent investigation of whatever story is there. The beauty of this film is that at no time is there a sense of sensationalism. Yes, the church tries to cut them off at the pass and uses sealed documents as a weapon, but time is the issue as much as anything visible. Strong performances abound, but the characters have weaknesses and at times become a bit emotional over their task. This plays out with subtlety and an almost you-are-there sense. Loved this.