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Wednesday, March 19, 2025
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HOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT
EDITOR'S PICK
'Spotlight'
- Sharp and focused
Rating:
****
Based on actual events that occurred in Boston, USA, "Spotlight" is an
intense film that deals with investigative journalism. It is the 2003 Pulitzer
Prize winning team's fight against the system that stirred a hornet's nest in
the locality and the Roman Catholic Church.
The film gets its name from the section of The Boston Globe which specifically
deals with exploratory stories. This section is handled by a four-member team
headed by editor Walter Robinson, also known as Robby, reporters Michael
Rezendes, Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer.
With the appointment of the new editor Marty Baron in July 2001, the Spotlight
team is assigned to investigate allegations against a defrocked priest John
Geoghan, who was accused of sexually abusing children in his parish in 1976.
It is during this investigation that the team realises that, torn between faith
and knowledge of the crime, the issue is not a one-off case, but a plague that
involves about 80 priests. Moreover what was more intriguing is that the people
at the helm in the Archdiocese of Boston were aware of the malaise and were
systematically brushing the cases under the carpet.
How the reporters make it their mission to provide proof of the cover-up of the
sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church forms the base of the tale.
This is not only a powerful story that engages the film. With simplicity and
uprightness, director McCarthy's balanced script where he is able to portray the
struggle between the two powers -- the Church and the media -- along with crisp
dialogues and note-perfect ensemble cast qualifies this film as intelligent
cinema.
The narrative is smooth and the graph rises as time goes by, as per the
importance of the subject.
The performance of each member of the cast is pitch perfect. Heading the list is
Micheal Keaton as Walter Robinson and Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes. While
Keaton embodies the head of the department, it is Ruffalo with his slouch and
bouts of hunger, who is always engrossed in work, exemplifies a passionately
hardworking journalist. He shines brilliantly in the confrontational scene
opposite Keaton.
On the other hand, Rachel McAdams, who is nominated at the Oscars 2016 for Best
Actress in a Supporting Role, is natural as Sacha Pfeiffer. Her personality as a
hardcore journalist surfaces when she tells a survivor: "We care and we
will tell the story and tell it right."
Unfortunately her role offers nothing specifically significant.
With a restrained performance, Liev Schreiber shines as the editor Marty Baron.
Brian D'Arcy James as Matt Carroll, Len Cariou as Cardinal Law, Stanley Tucci as
the psychotherapist Mitchell Garabedian and the rest of the cast which includes
the victims have their shining moments too.
Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi's lens capture Stephen H. Carter's
production designs to perfection. His visuals accompanied by Howard Shore's
low-keyed score are layered competently by editor Tom McArdle.
In the end, while the journey of the unravelling is compelling as it overturns a
can of worms, the disturbing and enduring pain of the victims which is not
exploited in the narration, throws up some baffling statistics.
Overall, "Spotlight" is a film worth a watch.
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