Spotlight Movie 2015 | Key Facts & Characters & Ending Explained
Spotlight movie 2015 tells the real life story of how The Boston Globe did the unthinkable, and exposed the huge cover up, The Catholic church trying to bury the numerous cases of child molestation among The Boston Archdiocese. As the name implies, ‘Spotlight’ refers to the investigative journalism team who report for the Boston Globe newspaper. They are thorough, relentless and will stop at nothing to expose headline stories that affect the everyday lives of normal American’s.
When the new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), drops a potentially explosive story in the lap of Spotlight chief, Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), about allegations of sexual abuse involving the Catholic Church, Robinson and his loyal crew go about uncovering one of the greatest criminal cover-ups in human history. The deeper their investigation goes the more sadistic and shocking the outcome becomes. Fingers are pointed, people are accused and the list of clergy involved becomes larger and larger. The whole situation ceases to become a Boston problem and grows to a worldwide exposure.
Initially believing that they are following the story of one priest who was moved around several times, the Spotlight team begin to uncover a pattern of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in Massachusetts, and an ongoing cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese. Through a man who heads a victim’s rights organization, they widen their search to thirteen priests. They learn through an ex-priest who worked trying to rehabilitate pedophile priests that there should be approximately ninety abusive priests in Boston. Through their research, they develop a list of eighty-seven names, and begin to find their victims to back up their suspicions. When the September 11 attacks occur, the team is forced to deprioritize the story. They regain momentum when Rezendes learns from Garabedian that there are publicly available documents that confirm Cardinal Law was aware of the problem and ignored it. After The Boston Globe wins a case to have even more legal documents unsealed, the Spotlight Team finally begins to write the story, and plan to publish their findings in early 2002.
As they are about to go to print, Robinson confesses to the team that he was sent a list of twenty pedophile priests in 1993 in a story he never followed up on. Baron, nevertheless, tells Robinson and the team that the work they are doing is important. The story goes to print with a link leading to the documents that expose Cardinal Law, and a phone number requesting victims of pedophile priests to come forward. The following morning, the Spotlight team is inundated with phone calls from victims coming forward to tell their stories. The film closes with a list of places in the United States and around the world where the Catholic Church has been involved in concealing abuse by priests.
Spotlight was shown in the Out of Competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It was also shown at the Telluride Film Festival and the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on November 6, 2015, by Open Road Films. It won numerous guilds and critics’ association awards, and was named one of the finest films of 2015 by various publications. It is nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, Best Supporting Actress: Rachel McAdams, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.
Characters
All the players performing are top-notch but walking away, best-in- show, is the performance of Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo exhibits his best screen performance to date, and makes a stake in his claim for the Oscar this year. Weirdly reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix’s work in “The Master,” Ruffalo builds his ‘Mike’ from the feet up, giving him his own characteristics that I’m not sure McCarthy and Singer set out to do. His expressions in words, mannerisms, all encapsulate the magnitude of his work, bookended by an explosive scene that brought tears to my eyes. Think back to Emma Stone’s acclaimed work in “Birdman,” and the scene that made everyone notice. I wanted to simply applaud.
Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo are part of the investigative team as young committed journalists Sacha Pfeiffer and Mike Rezendes respectively. McAdams performance is award worthy and Ruffalo is fully engaged in a role that matches his talents. Michael Keaton has found his niche in Hollywood as a sort after mentor showcasing another strong performance as the tenacious and hard hitting Robinson. The real ‘cherry’ in the cast is the presence of the magnificent Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian who represents the victims in the whole saga. Tucci adds the class that takes ‘Spotlight’ to another level with an engrossingly accomplished performance.
Ending Explained
Robinson tells the team he was provided a list of twenty pedophile priests in 1993 in a story he never followed up on as they were about to go to print. Still, Baron informs Robinson and the crew that their efforts are significant. The narrative runs to print with a phone number asking victims of pedophile priests to come forward and a link linked to the records proving Cardinal Law. Phone calls from victims coming forward to share their stories flood the Spotlight crew next morning. The ending scene of the movie lists locations in the United States and abroad where the Catholic Church has been implicated in priest abuse concealment. The Spotlight team released 600 accounts of abuse by 249 Boston-only priests by December 2002.
Cardinal Law left in December 2002. He was sent back to Rome, to one of the most prominent churches on Earth.
Spotlight Movie 2015 | Reviews
IMDB score is 8.1 ( I rated it 10 personally)
Spotlight Movie 2015 Netflix
Spotlight Movie 2015 Trailer
