Spotlight
SPOTLIGHT (15)
D: Tom McCarthy
Open Road/Participant Media/First Look/Anonymous Content
(Steve Golin, Michael Sugar, Nicole Rocklin & Blye Pagon Faust)
US 2015
129 mins
Drama
W: Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
DP: Masanobu Takayanagi
Ed: Tom McArdle
Mus: Howard Shore
Michael Keaton (Walter Robinson), Mark Ruffalo (Michael
Rezendes), Rachel McAdams (Sacha Pfeiffer), Liev Schrieber (Marty Baron), Stanley Tucci (Mitchell Garabedian), John Slattery (Ben Bradlee, Jr.), Billy Crudup (Eric MacLeish)
I
had yet to see Spotlight when it was named Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars. I was almost certain that The Revenant was going to take home the big prize.
Upon watching, it's an accolade I understand, though it
wouldn't have earned my vote if I were an academy member, despite it probably being the best-written film of 2015 with subject matter which would have an affect on an awful lot of
people.
The story focuses on the investigative efforts of the
'Spotlight' department of The Boston Globe newspaper, as they attempt to uncover stories of sexual molestation and on over 90 children from pederast members of the clergy in devoutly religious
neighbourhoods, a scandal which had been covered up for over three decades.
In many ways, it's refreshing for a film to tackle the facts
without resorting to over-dramatisation to get the power of the story across, and for that reason alone, it deserves high commendation.
It's a film of huge importance rather than something to watch
for entertainment, and, despite the on-screen events taking place in 2001, it was probably released at the right time, especially following The Savile Inquiry which rocked Great Britain just a
few years previous, but still during a time when rich celebrities buy media silence with injunctions and super injunctions.
It's not my best picture of the year, but still comes highly
recommended, especially to those with a career or interest in top-level journalism.
8/10
