UNITED STATES
Medill Reports Chicago
By Emma Sandler
The new movie “Spotlight” focuses on an investigative unit of the same name at The Boston Globe that uncovered in 2001 and 2002 the systemic Catholic priest abuse scandal. It involved about 70 local priests and more than 1,000 victims.
The reporting garnered the paper a Pulitzer Prize. The investigative team comes to life with an all-star cast of Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery and Brian d’Arcy James. No one takes the lead or chews the scenery in this movie, which perfectly mirrors the collaborative efforts of the investigative team. It’s an ensemble piece in its finest form.
There is no glorifying or vilifying of journalists as vigilantes or upstarts in the movie. There are no romantic entanglements and few scenes look into the personal toll that these journalists endure throughout their investigation. It is a simple portrayal of the facts of the reporting, as they are known, with no embellishments—just as an actual journalist would write the script for accuracy rather than Hollywood drama..
What the film does so well is showing the strong ties the Globe and Boston in general had with the Catholic Church. Boston has historically been a Catholic city to its core since it became populated with Irish Catholic immigrants in the 1800s. Demonstration of this relationship shows up with references to the journalists’ Catholic upbringings as well their family ties. Editor Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson (played by Michael Keaton) even makes an appearance at his Catholic alma mater Boston College, where a picture of John F. Kennedy, the only Irish Catholic president, can be seen hanging on a wall.
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