This spring has been good in terms of getting to watch some good film-making. We watched 'Room'; 'Bridge of Spies'; and then this latest one called 'Spotlight'.
Spotlight is titled after an investigation and research team that works inside the Boston Globe, a 150 plus year old newspaper (today owned by a private wealthy investor). This bunch of veteran journalists in Boston broke the story on the Sex Abuse Scandal that has infected the global Catholic Church system.
This major news item was published on the front pages in 2002 after a couple years of hard investigative journalism. While the screenplay is representative of the reality and the number of investigators it took to uncover these sad truths about child abuse and molestation of the nth degree by god's chosen few, it does shine the spotlight on the hypocrisy that we live in.
While the Boston natives were themselves stunned to learn of the evil lurking in their place of worship, and the various powers that be including the clergy that did not want exposure and shame the 'Spotlight' also exposes the fallacy of one of the lead investigators who has ignored this news story when presented to him early in his career.
It takes an outsider in the form of the newly appointed editor of the Boston Globe, to start asking questions and focus the paper's resources to delve into what might matter for its audience. Performances from all cast are superb including the fast paced suspense that keeps you riveted to the end. Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo have very memorable roles as part of the Spotlight team and the film does a good job of keeping the victims in focus and not getting all mushy glorifying the journalists in the process.
Hopefully that sort of journalism still exists.
This is the second film directed by Tom McCarthy both of which I have enjoyed watching. The prior one is a few years old called 'The Visitor' and is about an illegal immigrant that tries to make a living in NYC and the poignant life altering moment for a lonely college professor when his path intersects with this visitor.
From the looks of it Mr. McCarthy's work is based on showcasing the good in people and making it available for screen audiences without too much melodrama.
Spotlight is titled after an investigation and research team that works inside the Boston Globe, a 150 plus year old newspaper (today owned by a private wealthy investor). This bunch of veteran journalists in Boston broke the story on the Sex Abuse Scandal that has infected the global Catholic Church system.
This major news item was published on the front pages in 2002 after a couple years of hard investigative journalism. While the screenplay is representative of the reality and the number of investigators it took to uncover these sad truths about child abuse and molestation of the nth degree by god's chosen few, it does shine the spotlight on the hypocrisy that we live in.
While the Boston natives were themselves stunned to learn of the evil lurking in their place of worship, and the various powers that be including the clergy that did not want exposure and shame the 'Spotlight' also exposes the fallacy of one of the lead investigators who has ignored this news story when presented to him early in his career.
It takes an outsider in the form of the newly appointed editor of the Boston Globe, to start asking questions and focus the paper's resources to delve into what might matter for its audience. Performances from all cast are superb including the fast paced suspense that keeps you riveted to the end. Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo have very memorable roles as part of the Spotlight team and the film does a good job of keeping the victims in focus and not getting all mushy glorifying the journalists in the process.
Hopefully that sort of journalism still exists.
This is the second film directed by Tom McCarthy both of which I have enjoyed watching. The prior one is a few years old called 'The Visitor' and is about an illegal immigrant that tries to make a living in NYC and the poignant life altering moment for a lonely college professor when his path intersects with this visitor.
From the looks of it Mr. McCarthy's work is based on showcasing the good in people and making it available for screen audiences without too much melodrama.
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