Spotlight: A new high for journalism

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2016)

As I'm writing this review, Spotlight has already won two academy awards this year including an Oscar for the Best Picture. Although released in November 2015 but in India it is releasing this week. In this era of sensational journalism Spotlight emerges as a ray of fresh light. The movie boasts an ensemble of great cast that includes Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci.
The movie opens with a short 1976 Police station scene and quickly jumps to 2001 into the office of The Boston Globe. The newspaper hires a new editor Baron (Liev Schrieber downplaying with finesse, whom many Indians remember as the person who presented Oscar with Priyanka). After reading a news piece about a lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who says that Cardinal Bernard Law (the Archbishop of Boston) knew that the priest John Geoghan was sexually abusing children and did nothing to stop him, Baron asks the Spotlight team (which takes months in researching a case) to follow this case. Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton) leads the team and is very convincing in his portrayal of a leading from the front boss. He assigns Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo will make you forget Hulk) to pursue Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), a very busy and reluctant to help lawyer. Ruffalo plays an adamant, sensitive and impeccably observant reporter. Rachel McAdams plays Sasha pfeiffer who along with Eric MacLeish played by a theater actor Brian d'Arcy James go door to door asking uncomfortable questions.
Spotlight shows what true journalism is all about. It's about following a story with sheer honesty and utter conviction. Everybody follows a different path and researches the case in their own manner and slowly and steadily pieces start falling in place. It's about even going against the mighty Church which may potentially endanger the future prospects of a newspaper. We live in a time where newspapers are filled with news of child abuse all around the country. Spotlight goes on to show that this isn't a local phenomenon but a global one and even an authority as high as Church can also get involved. There is a scene in the movie where Sasha interviews a Father and he accepts molesting children and sees nothing wrong in it and in fact terms it as fooling around with boys. This gets you thinking how safe are we with such ignorant god man around.
It was high time a movie on Journalism made and Spotlight not just ticks this box but with the help of great acting and crisp screenplay delivers a beautiful movie. I'm going with 4 stars out of 5 for spotlight.
A new high for Journalism. This review is also available on http://www.wibble.in/2016/03/lights-camera-spotlight/ by the same author