Directed by: Tom McCarthy
Staring: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery
Oscar winner Spotlight is based on enquiries by the Boston Globe newspaper into allegations of paedophile activity by Catholic priests at the turn of the century. Spotlight was the name of the paper’s special investigation team which included the editor Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) and Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo). The team is encouraged by new editor in chief Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) and managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr (John Slattery). The films captures the excitement of a newsroom breaking a major story as well as holding attention during the painstaking background work slowly gathering enough evidence. A stong cast bring to life not only the appalling behaviour of individual priests but also the complicity of the church hierarchy, lawyers and civic authorities who allowed complaints by vulnerable youngsters to be covered up and the perpetrators to be moved to new posts to carry on as before. The film illustrates why we need bold investigative reporters and supportive media proprietors.