Actor-turned-director Tom McCarthy surprises us with his brilliant, inoffensive direction of a film with a touchy subject matter. Spotlight is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning true story of a newspaper investigative team's exposé of the Roman Catholic Church's massive cover-up of a widespread child abuse by its priests.
In 2001, Boston Globe's four-person investigative unit, Spotlight (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Brian d'Arcy James), takes on a fresh assignment from new editor-in-chief Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), to write a follow-up story on an alleged pedophile local priest, Geoghan,—but they discover a deeper, wider, more shocking truth.
McCarthy's calm, understated, and plainspoken treatment is as meticulous and systematic as Spotlight's investigation. Focused and business-like, the film is devoid of frills and theatrics. Not even Howard Shore's subtle musical score is manipulative. And the actors deliver subdued, restrained performances (except for one tiny spark of outrage from Ruffalo's slightly agitated character), to allow the evidence, the facts, the records to speak for themselves.
McCarthy and co-screenwriter John Singer penned a terrific script, laying down just the bare minimum, strictly sticking to Spotlight's tenacious investigation and staying on the perspective of the four reporters, so that we uncover the truth along with them. No talk of faith or religion. No persecution and sensationalism. No displays of heroism or exaggeratedly villainous characters. Just hard-hitting facts.
No fancy camerawork or editing here either, just the camera's slow zoom-in-and-out in unraveling moments. It's a simple, efficient, no-nonsense execution, but gripping and fast-paced nonetheless.
Intelligent, refreshingly straightforward, and a delicious period piece, with a highly competent cast ensemble (which includes the impeccable Stanley Tucci), Spotlight doesn't have the desperate need to appeal to your emotions, yet it will leave you breathless. Like the truth, the movie doesn't require too many explanations. The genius of this movie is its respect for the power of pure, unadulterated truth, and masterfully using the medium of film to put it under the spotlight.
5 out of 5 stars
Opens February 10, 2016 in Philippine cinemas!
Cross-published in InterAksyon.com
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