Spotlight (2015), R, ★★★★

The Spotlight crew.

Investigative journalism is a very tricky and difficult business to process a story that contains some lurid detail of a story and not leak any rumors or opinions of a controversial matter that could possibly impact someone, a group of people or the entire nation. These journalists have to get everything on point from the interviews of the victims to the grammar of how each sentence is meticulously crafted. It is an immediate interest because we witness a newspaper joint working on the clock on the story and nearing deadlines. However, what is the risk of delivering a controversial story to the nation? Maybe, your life and your family's life in jeopardy. This movie is in the same league and same breath with another brilliant movie about investigative journalism, All the President's Men, directed by Sydney Pollack starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. This is a movie you cannot take your eyes of and it feels like you're in the newspaper room and with the team the whole movie.

This movie is based on actual event opening in Boston, 1974, there has been a hysteria among the Catholic Church. But, it is wisely ambiguous and shadowed as to what really happened as it begins a journey to the investigation of its cover-up. In 2001, we are introduced to the Spotlight department - a small group of people headlining Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy). They are the investigative team and they are worried that the new boss who is coming into the Boston Globe will cut a lot of people.

The next day, the new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) and Robby are in the Spotlight group in a 10:30 meeting. He asks them if they've read the Geoghan case. They are vaguely familiar as he tells them that a priest has molested six kids in six different parishes in the last 30 years. The victims' lawyer found about the Cardinal Law and did nothing about it. However, he insists that they should write the story about it. Marty says that they are filing a motion to lift the seals of the church's documents. Another person, Ben (John Slattery), mentions that everyone will sue the church.

By trying to obtain access to the sealed documents, the Spotlight team has acquired the evidence. The twist is (it's in the trailer) that the church knew that they committed crimes but they revealed that it was a cover-up so they can maintain their image. The more news and evidence the team uncovers to write for the paper, the more threats that will shadow them. It will be a dangerous world for them and for the church one way or another.

It's work, work, work, work, work.

This is a terrific movie about investigative journalism, this is a great controversial movie about maintaining an image of the holy Catholic Church and this is a fascinating drama/suspense how each person is being threatened by people who are faithful to the church and tries to balance the truth and their lives by doing the right thing and/or questioning of doing the right thing. It is a home run and this is a great movie with a fantastic screenplay by Tom McCarthy, who is also the director, and Josh Singer. We listen to the dialogue as carefully as we can as we, the audience, to solve the best scenario or truth from the evidence and hidden facts given to us to uncover the sex abuse scandal.

We witness dread and angst among the writers who are near the truth and it is relatable to not just the newspaper business but also in any workforce. I mean, each scene is calibrated beautifully to the craftsmanship and form, even if we know what will happen because, again, it is a true story, of the complexity behind each person's participation of this whole story. There is a scene in the movie in which the Rachel McAdams character briefly interviews the priest and their interaction is haunting and how she is viewing the children as she and her grandmother goes to church. You feel a sense of horror in that scene.

Mark Ruffalo is really fantastic, giving one of his best performances of his career, in which there is a scene when he has his moment in which he shouts because he is tired of asking for the Supervisor to get his access file. He is tired and frustrated. Michael Keaton also delivers as he carries the team along with all of the evidence they uncover and expose. Rachel McAdams gives her best performance of her career. John D'Arcy, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber and Billy Crudup are all outstanding in their roles. There is not a wasted scene in this film.

Even though, at times, we may not know from their language what is going on trying to deliver the news and how to deliver it on time, it's fascinating, as a participant, to see hardworking people working as effortlessly as they can to deliver a professionally-written headline and news article to intrigue the people in what is going on in the Catholic Church. Even, its framing of some scenes involving children is suspenseful because you never know what may happen to them. This is a great ensemble piece that looks more laid back than opted to be based on its cinematography and framework. But, it is still a riveting movie that you cannot miss. This is one of the best movies of the year.

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