Spotlight is a biographical and historical drama turned thriller about the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight”, a team of investigative reporters who tackled alleged child abuse in the Catholic Church in Boston, exposing a religious, legal and governmental scandal that send shock waves across the world in early 2002. The Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage opened the issue of sexual abuse within the Church, drawing attention from the Church hierarchy, law enforcement, government and media agencies.

Spotlight follows almost ten years after acclaimed documentary, Deliver Us from Evil, from film-maker Amy Berg, who examined the case of convicted pedophile, Oliver O’Grady. While set in Boston and dramatised much like newspaper conspiracy All the President’s Men, both films address the same issue. Deliver Us from Evil has a special focus on one man’s sexual crimes, while Spotlight takes a broader citywide perspective.

The Spotlight team consists of: Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes, Michael Keaton as Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson, Rachel McAdams as Scaha Pfeiffer and Brian d’Arcy James as Matt Carroll. Ruffalo played a similar role in The Normal Heart, throwing himself into yet another passionate causes performance that sees him embrace every aspect of his character. Keaton is the boss, conveying quiet authority in the wake of Birdman, while McAdams and d’Arcy round off a solid team. The ensemble is bolstered further by the presence of an understated Liev Schreiber, no-nonsense John Slattery and dedicated Stanley Tucci.

“Did I mention you’re on speakerphone?”

The performances ground Spotlight and do justice to a well-balanced script, which let’s the true story speak for itself. We encounter real people with heart-breaking stories that reveal a slice of the tragedy at play, while for the most part, the priests are kept at a distance, reduced to names and dates. It’s the establishments that are targeted in Spotlight, and those that would wish to cover-up the scandal in order to profit or cast a blind eye.

While the outcome is public knowledge, the underlying tension of the search-and-discovery is leveraged to great effect, drawing us into the depths of the story. In our fast-paced, media-soaked world, the newspaper’s sense of integrity becomes such an inspiration as the investigative journalists pursue the truth with such voracity. Spotlight exposes the darkness without being consumed by the despair, simultaneously restoring hope in humanity by showing the commitment, patience and virtues of a news team with a difference.

Writer-director Tom McCarthy, best known for The Visitor and Win Win, gives us a deft, human and harrowing look into this time. The subject matter is monumental, recalling the newsroom tone and gravity of All the President’s Men. McCarthy’s crafted Spotlight in such an honest and matter-of-fact way without caving into cliches of the news agency detective genre.

It’s a heartbreaking and eye-opening journey that treats its audience and subjects with great respect, making the integrity of its story an unflinching priority. The subtle film-making keeps it immediate, within touching distance, and the range of honest performances lock us into a troubled Boston in some of the most devastating months in U.S. history.

The bottom line: Engrossing

Release date: 5 February, 2016
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