Spotlight: Average Guy Movie Review

In 2001 the Spotlight team of The Boston Globe was assigned by their new Editor - Marty Baron - to investigate the allegations that Catholic Priests in the Boston area had molested young children, and that senior members of the church not only knew about it but had gone to great lengths to cover it up. This is the story of that investigation, and the team's struggle to bring the truth to light

The last thing I wanted to see with a movie like this was two hours of church bashing. Thankfully that this is far from the case with Spotlight. Instead, director Tom McCarthy - along with writer Josh Singer - delivers a shocking yet compassionate story that focuses on the victims, and the hard work put in by journalists at the Globe to expose this conspiracy. That's not to say that the church doesn't take any flack, because it does, a lot, and deservedly so. To think that the molestation of countless children was not only going on for decades, but was continuously covered up is outrageous! The Spotlight team faced stone walling not only from the Church but from members of the public as well, either through deliberate action, ignorance or both. And thanks to the brilliant performances you are in some way able to feel their struggle, their determination to get to the truth.

The movie was supported by many of the real journalists involved, making themselves available to the actors who would portray them. Apparently, Mark Ruffalo would ask Mike Rezendes to say his lines during breaks. And when visiting The Boston Globe office set the journalists moved towards what would have been their desks and started re-arranging items to how they had them at the time. All of which adds a degree of authenticity to proceedings. It feels like McCarthy has done the same with the city of Boston. Despite splitting filming between Boston and Toronto, the movie seems to capture the feel of the city, and the importance of the Catholic church to that community. Not to mention how a scandal of this magnitude would affect them, and the rest of the world. 

Fans of The Wire may find it funny that the guy who played a dodgy journalist who faked communication with a serial killer, is responsible for bringing such an incredible true story to the big screen. However, McCarthy proves to be the perfect choice, he approaches it all with care and respect, but also with fervour - I assume in much the same way the Spotlight team did with their investigation. As a whole, the world of journalism can have a spotty reputation, despite that, the Boston Globe's work on this story is exemplary. It's exactly why society needs a free press. But rarely are we aware of the full scale of something like this, not to mention the amount of work that goes into exposing it. That is the brilliance of a movie like Spotlight; it's able to give us an idea, a mere glimpse at what it takes to bring something like this to light.

More than just a tense and gripping drama. Spotlight is a fascinating look at the hard work done by the Boston Globe's Spotlight team to expose the rampant child molestation by Catholic priests, and the attempts by the church hierarchy to cover it up.

10/10

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