UNITED STATES
Washington Square News
Ethan Sapienza, Staff Writer
November 9, 2015
Newspapers are dying, but the journalism industry is attempting to evolve in a far more web-based world. Thus far, the growing pains have been hefty, with many print publications disappearing since the dawn of the century.
Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight” is a vindication of journalism. It tells the courageous story of Boston Globe journalists who exposed the Catholic Church for repeatedly covering up instances of sexual abuse against children. The name comes from their unit, Spotlight, which specialized in lengthy investigations. Even in 2001, when the film takes place, the emergence of the Internet age began to eliminate the financial means for investigative units like Spotlight.
Both the investigation and film are necessary pieces in the media milieu. Without the breadth of time allotted to the steadfast Spotlight team, the proper story may have failed to been told in the film.
“Spotlight” is expertly made, taking a quiet and observational tone much like its characters, who are portrayed by an all-star cast including Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and John Slattery. There will likely be debate about which cast member should be Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, as the rounded talent works together like cogs in a machine. The emotional heights and depths as the investigation progresses are achieved through wonderful chemistry, bouncing from Ruffalo’s dogged, slump-shouldered determination to McAdams’ honest, moral care to Slattery’s comical and thoughtful commentary.
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