(3.5 / 5)
Sometimes true stories don’t deserve to be brought to the big screen; this is not one of those times.
Spotlight has managed to take a story which admittedly doesn’t have huge ups and downs, you even know what will happen in the end, and yet it’s delivered in such a way that it remains captivating throughout.
Spotlight is the name of a team of investigative journalists who uncover hard-hitting stories at the Boston Globe. In 2001, editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) starts working for the newspaper and wastes no time in making his mark. He suggests to the head of Spotlight, Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), his team including look further into the case of a priest who was allegedly sexually abusing children with the full knowledge of the archbishop of Boston. Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) are doing most of the interviewing work, tracking down victims to confirm and elaborate on their experiences.
While all of the acting was virtually flawless, Mark Ruffalo is particularly good in his role, even down to the fact that Michael Rezendes is of Portuguese decent – Mark really does look Portuguese! But much more than that, as an actor who is passionate about human rights, this really shines through in his performance.
Even though most people already know about the sex-abuse scandals of the Catholic church, this film was very important because it breathes life into it again and gives it a greater sense of realism. It’s worth noting that this is an authentic account of what happened, the main journalists have vouched for its accuracy. If the film itself isn’t enough to give you a jolt, then watch out for the credits at the end – they list all the locations around the world where similar scandals have been brought to light. It’s not a short list, by any means.
It isn’t really fair to compare this to a fictional movie where anything could happen, which is why my rating may seem low – but for this genre it’s at the top of its game.
Spotlight premieres in Sweden on February 12.
Categorised in: Drama, Epic/Historical, Film