Expertly Crafted with Fierce Supporting Turns from Ruffalo, McAdams and Keaton, Spotlight Demands to be seen

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2016)

"How do you say no to God?" This is the question that Spotlight at its heart battles with. The answer though is nowhere to be found. There is not a simple explanation and this is the way that Director Tom McCarthy and writer Josh Singer treat the material, with thought, care and complexity.
2001. Pre 9/11. The internet is about to explode. Newspapers are seen as the lesser of the two mediums and the Boston Globe is on the brink of uncovering the truth about Catholic Priests who have been molesting and raping children for years. Everyone else turns a blind eye to the truth, including the church that silences anyone who tries to speak out against them. The Boston Globe assigns a special investigative team 'Spotlight' to help bring justice to the hundreds of victims who don't just originate from Boston, but the entire world.
It would have been all too easy to lose sight of the characters in Spotlight and that was my biggest fear. However, we never lose sight of them for a moment. The main players are Walter Robinson (Keaton), Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo) and Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams). I did not need any more convincing from Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, that they are actors at the top of their game; especially Ruffalo who surprised me further, even after his excellent characterisation in Foxcatcher. He truly is the star of the show, subtly brilliant without drawing attention. Actors like him deserve to be commended.
Where does Spotlight excel the most though? That would be the writing, separating itself from the majority of Biopics and Dramas on the market that are sloppy, predictable and quite frankly a mess. The scripting is dynamic and killer lines sprinkled throughout help convey the drama to audiences, like myself who would never have believed that such horrific events really did happen. We are reminded (but not bludgeoned over the head repeatedly) by the facts. McCarthy handles the film gracefully. Admittedly a shock, when his last project was The Cobbler.
But Spotlight is absorbing cinema, that shocks to the core, never succumbing to the usual clichÃ©s, is dramatic and riveting without ever patronising its audience. When was the last time a Director achieved this with this much trust? Many other Directors would make a film that felt dramatically contrived, even though these events really did happen. The power of a great Director is to make the material excel and go beyond what could have potentially been dramatically inert and lifeless. Spotlight is always moving forward in interesting and meaningful ways. The performances and writing only account for a small percentage of the film's brilliance.
At first glance Spotlight is a film shot simply without an all- encompassing cinematic feel; upon further inspection though it's a beautifully dark and sinister film. With shots that linger on the performances, always cutting away at the right moment and frames that echo the superb brilliance of the famous opening shot from The Godfather. The slow reveal.
I honestly could go on and on about Spotlight because it really is a great film. It's also a rare film that changes the way you perceive the world and the people around you, without feeling exploitative. A statement that is applicable to very few of the films I have seen. Biopics do not get as captivating, thought provoking, emotional and gripping as Spotlight. Why would you miss this? It demands your attention and needs to be seen. It's a true story about real people and real problems we are still facing today, relevant now more than ever. It never feels phony, fake or begging for awards nominations (which it so rightfully deserves). It builds upon everything that comes before its 128 minute runtime and offers up a conclusion that is heart stopping. Not to mention tremendous support from Ruffalo, McAdams and Keaton who bring further emotional weight to the film. All of which contribute to Spotlight standing as one of the greatest films of the decade, if not all time.
A+