This investigative journalism drama with a top notch ensemble cast stands apart for completely doing away with the drama and instead sucking the audience into the narrative to experience the proceedings first hand to give them what is one of the most emotionally gratifying movie experiences in recent times.
‘Spotlight’ is adapted from the Pullitzer Winning true story of the Boston Globe special investigative wing Spotlight whose members Michael Rezendes, Walter "Robby" Robinson, Sacha Pfeiffer, Marty Baron, Ben Bradlee Jr and Matt Carroll conducted a year long investigation with the aid of attorney Mitchell Garabedian and exposed the Church’s cover up of 90 priests in Boston alone who sexually abused children in their parishes by merely transferring them to some other congregation and silencing the abused by exploiting their faith and with monetary settlements.
There is a strong superhero connection to ‘Spotlight’ as Michael Keaton who plays Walter "Robby" Robinson is the first ‘Batman’, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes is the Hulk in ‘Avengers’ and Liev Schreiber is Sabretooth from ‘X Men - Origins: The Wolverine’ and a common very Indian moviegoer tends to expect some fireworks from them but here these fine artistes wear the skin of ordinary men doing their jobs with passion to such perfection that it leaves us in a mesmerized state. If Ruffalo brings a boyish charm to his character making it the most loveable, Keaton is equally on song as the senior man with the sprightly stride and the scene in which he drives home his point to a sarcastically dismissive Billy Crudup (brilliant cameo as Eric Macleish) is a sure whistle hoot moment and the turning point in the screenplay. Schreiber, one of the most versatile actors around gives a subdued yet majestic performance as Editor Marty Baron a man of few words who sparks the investigation. Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfiefer has a meaty role and does full justice to it as she brings so naturally the emotions of a woman who pursues an almost impossible task. John Slattery and Brian D Arcy are flawless as the other two members of the team with the latter providing the laughs when he sticks posters of an abusive priest’s house to warn children to keep away. The chameleon Stanly Tucci this time takes on the form of the eccentric Mitchell Garabedian, who is the backbone of the investigation. All the other cast members are uniformly good and have their moments especially those who play the victims.
Writers Tom Mccarthy and Josh Singer employ a simple tool by opening ‘Spotlight’ with Baron the new editor joining the Globe and the audience (especially Indian) who all are not so familiar with the functioning of a newspaper get introduced to the world and they let us tag along till the end experiencing every smell (the dead rat in the record room) each discovery ( the clips), every breakthrough (victims opening up) and setbacks (9/11 attacks including). The screenplay is highly intriguing as the antagonist (the Church) is never seen but only spoken about and the hurdles are insurmountable as the leader of the operation is Jew, the majority of the population is soaked in faith and as one of the characters sum it up "The Church thinks in centuries, do you have the resources to counter that?". It is heart wrenching to witness the abused children who lead adult lives all broken inside, making this the story our inner voice wants to tell the world and FYI in the end credits a few parishes in India too are listed where child abuses by priests have been exposed after the Boston Globe Spotlight operation.
The cramped angle shots by cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi, the seamless editing by Tom McArdle and the unobtrusive music score by Howard Shore keep us from never getting off, not for one moment. Director Tom Mccarthy who brilliantly painted the sense of loneliness and loss on celluloid with ‘The Station Agent’ and ‘The Visitor’ has given this realistic gem that enthralls without even trying. See you and your Soldiers of Truth on Oscar Night Mr. Mccarthy. In the final moments of the film when the ‘Spotlight’ phone connections get jammed with calls pouring in from the victims the sense of victory is felt not only for the cause but for the power of cinema the medium leaving us elated.
Verdict : Watch it to realize how a handful of ordinary people can change the world for others
