Headed by editor Robby (Keaton), the Boston Globe's Spotlight team is charged in 2001 with digging for big stories. And new senior editor Marty (Schreiber) wants them to look into abusive priests, unaware that the Catholic Church controls the city. Robby's journalists are Mike, Sacha and Matt (Ruffalo, McAdams and James), and even as their research hits a series of walls, they realise that the story is bigger than anyone imagines. So they keep talking to lawyers (including Tucci and Crudup), working out that Cardinal Law (Cariou) has been covering up this abuse for decades.

McCarthy directs with a sure hand, letting scenes build their own internal power with subtle camerawork, music and editing that reveal telling details and punch emotions without tipping over into sensationalism. It's a fine balance to achieve with such a loaded topic, but McCarthy holds his nerve to maintain the perspective: these are seasoned, cynical writers who grow increasingly horrified at what they discover. And in their conversations with victims, the film finds its emotional wallop.

The actors form a terrific ensemble, clicking with each other while each takes his or her own personal journey. Ruffalo holds the centre beautifully with one of his most internalised performances, finely supported by Keaton, McAdams and James. Schreiber finds surprising perspectives as the outsider who's more trustworthy than anyone expected. And Tucci is terrific, stealing his scenes as a dogged lawyer overwhelmed by the task he has given his life to.

The script constructs the bigger picture slowly, focussing on how these journalists painstakingly uncover facts and witnesses to verify their story. And the more they learn, the less willing they are to sit quietly while their city's venerated religious leaders bury the truth. This isn't a salacious movie about sexuality or psychological damage, it's about an organisation that was allowed to commit hideous crimes for centuries before someone had the nerve to say that it was evil. In other words, it's not about something that happened 15 years ago. It's about the world we live in right now.

themes, language

29.Oct.15