First Take Classics: Spotlight- there aren’t many jokes to be made about a film like this

SYNOPSIS: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

The 2016 winner of that Oscar for Best Picture is arguably one of the most important films of the last decade due to its subject matter. And with another awards season in the can, and having just done a module on media ethics at uni, it felt like the right time to finally get this review published.

Tom McCarthy directs this film incredibly well, clocking in at 2 hours 9 minutes, there are very few moments that drag on, as he is rightly focused on getting this story told in the best way he can do so- working to a script he co-wrote with Josh Singer, the pair of them can create dialogue that is authentic and believable, something which not many of even this year’s Oscar nominees could do. Add to that some really well thought out cinematography from Masanobu Takayanagi, and another good soundtrack from the legendary Howard Shore, the film hits all of those Best Picture qualities.

Then you have the performances. They are truly exceptional- that core group of Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery and Liev Schrieber are where this film goes from 10 to 11 in terms of the quality, because they put in some top of the line work to tell this story sensitively and sympathetically, creating an ensemble piece that could arguably signal the start of honours for a group of actors, rather than singular lead and supporting roles. Yes, this is a heavy film in terms of its themes. But it is quite rightly an Oscar winner.

THE VERDICT

Spotlight is a film that was very important for its time- with a lot of controversy surrounding the press nowadays, this film provided a vital insight for mainstream cinemagoers into scandals they arguably wouldn’t have heard much about, and 3 years on from the Oscar win, it’s still as relevant today.

RATING: 5/5