Reporters expose abuse scandal

“Spotlight”



 

 

Tom McCarthy knows how to tell an engaging story. He proved it in “The Station Agent;” he proved it in “The Visitor;” and as writer-director of “Spotlight,” he proves it again.

The story comes with its own inherent drama: it’s “based on actual events” of a small team of reporters at the Boston Globe uncovering a widespread network of priests in Boston molesting children—and the subsequent cover-up by the Catholic Church.

The articles written by the investigative team—called Spotlight— won the Pulitzer Prize.

But while news reporting may be interesting to do, it’s not necessarily exciting to watch. McCarthy makes it riveting, often infuriating, here.

The crimes are not shown and, with few exceptions, neither are the criminals. In small snippets, victims tell their stories. But this is not a story of individuals; it’s much more–and more important— than that.

It’s the story of a city, its people, its legal community, its media and its church in a time of child molestation when “everyone knew something was going on—and no one did a thing.”

That’s the view of Robby (Keaton), the self-described “player coach” of the Spotlight team. Although it’s not fully accurate, what was done was insignificant, ineffective and “confidential.” Events, when reported at all, were tough to find in the newspaper.

Now, it’s 2001 and the Boston Globe has a new editor, Marty (Liev Schreiber), who reads a column about a local priest who has molested kids over a period of 30 years. Marty wants his Spotlight team to look into the story, find what else is there.

The team—Sasha (McAdams), Mike (Ruffalo), Ben (John Slattery), Matt (Brian d’Arcy James) and Robby—is reluctant. They always pick their own stories and they don’t see much of a story here. But the more they dig, the more they find.

They find one lawyer (Billy Crudup) who’s made “quiet deals” for victims and another (Stanley Tucci) who sees the Spotlight team as a last hope for justice. They find victims like Joe (Michael Cyril Creighton), who’s suffered in silence, and Phil (Neal Huff), who began a network for survivors.

And at the center, they find a cardinal (Len Cariou) who has moved offending priests quietly to “sick leave,” while ignoring a systemic problem.

There’s a whole conspiracy of silence, confusion and fear. This movie is as much about the process of uncovering that conspiracy as it is about the problem itself.

The Spotlight members are not heroes; they’re working reporters.

We know as much about them as we need to—Mike runs, Robby golfs, Sasha lives with her aunt, Matt is haunted by the house down the street—without losing focus on the plot. McCarthy creates suspense without sensationalism.

This is an ensemble piece, and the camera keeps moving around, giving each character time on stage without letting any one of them steal the spotlight. Distractions are minimal. Dialogue is realistic, information-packed, helpful. It’s instructive without being preachy.

The question is: Do we need this much detail, this many characters? Its scope is impressive, but its depth is thin. The movie feels long, running out of energy before the story is ready for publication.

With his youthful look and restless energy, Ruffalo shares our frustration. He wants to go to press sooner than the movie does. Keaton is good but seems to be speaking with a slight speech impediment. Schreiber is direct, laconic. Tucci is nutty fun.

McAdams is the most convincing member of the team: thoughtful, sympathetic, perceptive. You can see it all in her eyes.

The scene-stealers here are two actors in small roles. As Cardinal Law, Cariou oozes authoritarian arrogance. And as Joe Crowley, the gay man who thought he found understanding in a priest, Creighton will break your heart with his memories.

Director McCarthy effectively combines the sensibility of an independent movie with the style and polish of a big-budget film. The language is frank; passions are tempered with professionalism. The fingers of blame are pointed in all directions.

But this is not a movie that proposes solutions. It’s one that believes the necessary first step in finding them is to shine a bright light on the situation.

A spotlight.


 

 

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