Over the 20th and 21st century, there have been some consecutive cover-ups and allegations of sexual abuse cases towards children by numerous Catholic priests, nuns, etc. Many of these cases were fought for decades, still trying to receive justice for what has happened. Because of these events, these cases received big media attention throughout the world, leading the “Boston Globe” in 2002 to cover the issue in the United States.
Based on the true story, “Spotlight” rated R, discourses the true story of how the “Boston Globe” uncovered the enormous scandal of child molestation and sexual abuse that was covered up by the Catholic Church, bringing down the church itself to its core. The movie was written and directed by Tom McCarthy, starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams. This film was shot at noted places in Boston including Fenway Park and the Boston Globe offices.
Throughout the movie, the “Boston Globe”’s ‘Spotlight’ team investigates the cases of widespread child sex abuse in the Boston area by plentiful Catholic priests. The investigation itself goes on for about a year and it exposes corruption at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishments. Michael Rezendes, played by Mark Ruffalo, is an American journalist for the Boston Globe, covering all presidential, state, and local politics for the newspaper. When Rezendes was reporting about the Catholic officials being accused of abuse, his reporting broke the stories of similar events happening in New York City and Arizona. Another noted character in the film is Sacha Pfeiffer, represented by Rachel McAdams. Pfeiffer was also an investigative journalist for the “Boston Globe” who was a part of the “Spotlight” team. Her work also exposed the Catholic Church’s cover-up of the sex-abuse occurrence.
This film portrays a type of journalism that people admire the most; the investigators want everyone to know the truth. The story, simply by itself, is a breakthrough investigation story, shocking the world. The film itself beats every superhero story out there because these journalists have the makings of true heroes. This movie presented a marvelous cast with an amazing story, making the feature film win six different Oscars in 2016.
This is a must-see for people who want to discover the truth, especially for aspiring journalists. This is a true eye-opener on what goes on in our world and how our country sometimes handles unfair disputes. This movie might change your mindset on how you view and shape the world.