Oscars 2016 Best Picture Review: ‘Spotlight’ Is A Both Quiet And Disqueting Drama

Spotlight is a compelling detective story and newsroom drama, which tells the story about The Boston Globe‘s 2001 investigation into the Roman Catholic Church’s cover-up of systematic child sex abuse in a gripping and disquieting tale based on true events. The film’s title bears the name of the investigative team “Spotlight” at The Boston Globe — the oldest newspaper investigative unit in the United States, which in 2002 published more than 600 articles on the issue and consequently won the Pulitzer Prize for their discovery.

‘Spotlight’ Movie Review

The catalyst for the action takes us to the arrival of a new editor at the newspaper, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) in 2001. Baron wonders if a past article in the Boston Globe covering the case against a local priest was reporting on an isolated event or there was more behind it. He asks the head of Spotlight, Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) and his team to investigate further. Starring also Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Brian d’Arcy James and Stanley Tucci, the film deservedly bears six Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture.

The cinematic style that director Tom McCarthy employs is immersive and realistic. The camera moves almost imperceptibly, while cuts between shots are minimal and purposeful. It is precisely this unobtrusive visual style that makes Spotlight ever so quiet and disturbing. The media does not distract the viewer with excessive flashiness so that the content is delivered with the utmost clarity.

Spotlight‘s careful pace in the gradual unveiling of the truth works both to provide tension and to further immerse the spectator in the professionalism of the investigative drama. Each step of the way brings us closer to the climactic revelation, and even though we may well be aware of the true story, the film unpacks it with captivating suspense. The narrative unfolds mostly linearly; McCarthy has avoided resorting to excessive flashbacks and instead has opted out for a more direct delivery of the story. Thus, at any given moment the viewer’s knowledge hardly extends beyond what the investigators know, allowing the audience to fully share in each reporter’s anxiety and the urgency of the investigation.

Spotlight‘s intensely charged plot is balanced out by its subtle delivery and visual aesthetics. This is a film that not only celebrates a particular professional achievement but also commemorates the perseverance of an ethical journalistic spirit. McCarthy’s film is subtle yet powerful, conventional in its execution yet absolutely thrilling — a fine example of contemporary cinematic realism at its best.