Finally. Touted as one of the best films of the year, Spotlight was only released in the UK two months after its wide release in the US. Was it worth the wait? Well, kind of. Spotlight is a great film, but I can’t say it’s one that I loved.
Written and directed by Tom McCarthy, Spotlight tells the true story of a team of investigative journalists working for The Boston Globe. In 2001 the Globe hires a new editor (Liev Schreiber) who tasks the team with investigating an allegation that the Catholic Church knew about one of their priests sexually abusing a child, but did nothing to stop it. Quickly, the story grows as the team realises that the extent of the abuse (and cover-ups) is greater than they initially realised.
Spotlight feels very real. There’s not a frame on screen where we doubt the realism of events depicted. This is due, in part, to the excellent performances from the ensemble cast including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Stanley Tucci. Our characters rarely explode or break down, just as they wouldn’t in real life.
The writing is also superb. Conversations and interactions all feel like what would actually happen, and it makes for gripping storytelling. The subject matter is obviously pretty dark, and the realistic tone supports it by never allowing you to feel as though you’re watching a fictionalised version of the events.
None of this is to say that the film’s factual nature negatively impacts the story. This is a story that’s certainly worth telling, and it contains a number of turns and escalations that make for investing viewing that culminates in a lot of shock and surprise. By the end it’s difficult to believe that such things occurred but at the same time we believe it completely, for again we were never given any reason to doubt the authenticity.
As far as flaws, Spotlight is a very bland-looking film. Rarely did McCarthy make any choices that enable any visual storytelling, which is always a crime when it comes to filmmaking. One exception to this was a powerful montage set in the Boston suburbs. Behind every house, or even in the distance, we see a spire overseeing the action or a tower dominating the skyline, reinforcing the imposing and threatening nature of the Church. There just wasn’t enough of this. The editing in the first act is also a little off, overusing cuts and failing to neatly establish certain settings.
On a personal level I have to admit that I don’t like my true stories to be overly realistic. Some people complain that true stories are debased for the sake of drama. But I’d rather watch a heavily dramatised and stylised version of events, simply because that makes for more entertaining cinema. Which did you enjoy more: 12 Years a Slave, or Django Unchained?
I would have enjoyed Spotlight more if a few more liberties were taken with the story to add more tension and more excitement, and make our characters more memorable. The performances are great, yes, and the characters are extremely grounded and believable, but when I go to watch a film I usually prefer seeing something more exceptional.
The same goes for style. While I do agree that one should never sacrifice substance for style, there’s little about the way Spotlight feels that’s distinct. Films are a visual medium after all, and if this isn’t utilised then I always come away a little disappointed.
But they are just personal gripes. Spotlight set out to tell a dark, disturbing true story whose very nature is exceptional, and tell it how it actually happened. In this way, the film excels, and if it weren’t for a few editing choices and a lack of interesting aesthetic, it would have earned my top grade. Despite its subject matter definitely being something that interests me, it just isn’t the sort of film I find myself loving.
(GRADES: Both are out of 10. The left is an objective score based on its artistic merit, the right is how much I personally enjoyed it.)
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