Review - Spotlight

Subtle, important and brilliantly acted.

The brilliant ensemble of Spotlight.

"It takes a village to raise a child. And it takes a village to abuse one." Aptly reflected by Stanley Tucci's advocate character in Tom McCarthy's journalist-drama Spotlight, based on the story that shook the entire United States in early 2000s. The film is about the Catholic Church's most biggest impropriety - the cover up of child sex abuse by priests, occurring over many decades. And not a few, but about 80 of them were accused of child molestation and all of them were immorally and unethically saved by the American law and the Church. The entire scandal was divulged to the public by some brave journalists of Boston Globe, who are the main players in this film.

What works brilliantly in McCarthy's vision of the Pulitzer-prize winning story by the Boston Globe is its impeccable realism and subtlety. Hollywood has the tendency to over-dramatize the events, its characters and increase the hysteria, just to spice up things. But Spotlight resists any tendencies to turn such a delicate subject matter into a loud newsroom drama. Co-written by McCarthy and Josh Singer, the film is richly realized within the screenplay itself, providing a strong foundation for the film. All characters feel like your common hard working journalist - one who work late nights, sit in dingy cabinets, focused and determined to put their story without blowing up the things into an attention seeking piece. 

Spotlight works so well also because it has a brilliant cast - with likes of Keaton, Ruffalo, Tucci, Schreiber and McAdams, the film's actors are synced and composed like a choir, with all of them supporting each other in such a manner that the combined effect of their talent creates the soul and spirit of the film. First time in many years, I have seen a film in which no cast member outshines any other, and yet removal of any one would have certainly lowered the film's impact. To speak of, Ruffalo gets one meaty scene in which he dominates, which will probably bring him some awards attention. But still, no one should be singled out in such a accumulative performance display, which redefines the word "ensemble cast". Everyone here is deeply soaked and drenched in their characters, which is a triumph for McCarthy as a director as well.

The film is low key, almost devoid of any big dramatic scene. Yet, it never feels slow paced or any less intriguing, much credit to the film's editor Tom McArdle. The film starts with a decent pace and remains steady throughout its two hour run time. Shot in unflattering and gloss-less manner, Spotlight looks like a docu-drama, only without the shaky handle-held moments. The film was shot on location and on the set replica of Boston Globe office, and perhaps that's what contributed to the film's realistic style. 

Spotlight is a brilliant film. The last moments of the film are devastating - the list of hundreds of locations where child abuse have taken place within the institution of religion. It shakes you up and implores you to think. It deals with an important theme and even a controversial one, without diluting or exaggerating its facts, which is rare feat. The straight-forward yet impactful approach and powerful amalgamation of performances by the outstanding cast puts Spotlight as a must see film of 2015.

4/5