Should you buy the DVD? Nah.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 129 minutes (~2.25 hours)
“Spotlight” is a journalistic drama film that’s based on the real life Spotlight team’s investigation into child sex abuse cases in Boston. It follows the Spotlight team as they uncover the magnitude of the cases and grapple with their horrific discovery. It stars Mark Ruffalo (Michael Rezendes), Michael Keaton (Walter “Robby” Robinson), Rachel McAdams (Sacha Pfeiffer), Liev Schreiber (Marty Baron), John Slattery (Ben Bradlee Jr), Brian d’Arcy James (Matt Carol), and Stanley Tucci (Mitchell Garabedian). It is rated NC-16.
“Spotlight” comes with high expectations to fulfill, given its challenging premise and talented cast. Yet it manages to surpass those standards through a combination of excellent storytelling, strong characterisation and its treatment of the subject matter. It’s a strong, character-driven drama, despite being a retelling of real life events.
Highlights
Intriguing storytelling
The exposition is well planned, with each new revelation adding enough information to change your perspective of the situation as you ruminate over all that has happened earlier. But it gives you enough time to digest each new reveal before throwing the next one at you, as slowly and horrifically, you realise the full gravity of the situation. The film piques your curiosity but never quite satisfies it until the end, keeping you engaged as you learn, along with the characters, the truth behind the cases.
Investigative journalism procedures
It’s interesting to see all the characters go off on their individual threads, bringing their unique skills into play as they investigate different aspects of the case. It feels very much like a procedural, and that’s one of the key elements that has you feel like you’re part of the film. You’re investigating the case along with the characters, rather than just being an observer, and your emotions mirror the reactions of the characters on screen as they discover, at the same time as you, what they’re up against.
Compelling characters
“Spotlight” has a fantastic ensemble cast that delivers excellent performances. And what makes them even more captivating is the fact that each character brings his or her own emotional stakes to the case, as you find out what their motivations are for exposing the truth behind the cases. This results in heartfelt portrayals, because not only do you want to find out the full scope behind the cases, you also want the characters to have that same victory, to bring closure to their individual stories.
Moral quandaries
“Spotlight” leaves you with a thought-provoking message about religious systems and the slippery slope that even the faithful are not immune to. It’s not just a straightforward case of good and evil, but a story about grey areas and blurry lines. It’s not about who’s at fault, but an insightful look into human nature and its flaws.
Letdowns
Confusing beginning
“Spotlight” starts off by having all the characters pursue their own disparate leads, before we’ve even gotten to know them well enough to distinguish them. It’s hard to follow at the start, but once their stories start to converge, the film becomes much easier to follow.
“Spotlight” is a beautiful film that you must watch this year. You’ll be haunted by the message of the film long after you’ve left the cinema.
“Spotlight” opens in cinemas 21 January, 2016 (Thursday).
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