SPOTLIGHT  3.7***

  Spotlight is the true-story behind the 2002 exposure of the Catholic Church's cover-up of decades of sexual abuse.   Writer/director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, Win Win) is a splendid curator of  movie ensembles, and with Spotlight he follows the  investigative team called “Spotlight” and the various editors at the Boston Globe as they go about their jobs.  Over the course of the 2 hour movie, we watch the Spotlight team chase down leads, go through archives, interview subjects, but know when to push harder and when to fall back. Day-by-day and week by week they build their case to expose the massive sex abuse corruption within the Catholic Church.  We don't really get to know any of the journalists on  a personal level ; they are defined by their tenacity and competence. We don't get much time for reflection on the culpability of those within systems of power that chose to ignore the monstrous truth.  With its nose to the grindstone, Spotlight is an affecting and absorbing news story that comes to life.

Tackling a true story with this subject matter like Spotlight does is very difficult to portray on film. You have to accurately tell the true story well enough to not create an outcry while also not relying too much on the weight of the source material so you can still induce emotion. It is difficult, but certainly not impossible and Spotlight did pretty much everything right. The acting from one of the best ensemble casts of the year is phenomenal. Everyone gave such a great performance that no one ended up stealing the spotlight, pun intended.

 Spotlight" is spotless in its focus and makes crystal clear why a free press matters. It very much reminds me of "All The President's Men”’ which was an excellent investigative journalism film about the Watergate scandal. The abuse of power and influence of the Catholic Church that is revealed is simply appalling. At one point, someone comments "it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to abuse a child", pinpointing the collective failing of all of Boston for so many years.  Kudos to the various performers, including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachael McAdams, Stanley Tucci, and Liev Schreiber, just to name a few." Even so it was the incredible chemistry between and among the entire cast that was most impressive

 Make no mistake: This is not a thriller, nor is it docu-drama. This is smart, focused, intelligent story-telling with a great ensemble cast that pulls you into its story and never lets go.

This will be in the Oscar mix !!!!!

Clark