Saturday 19 December 2015

Film No. 90 (2015) Spotlight. December 15th.

Film No. 90 (2015) December 15th.  6.30 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.

 

"When a priest pays attention to you, you feel special. How do you say no to God?" (The words of Phil Saviano (victim) as he explains the thoughts he had as a child in the presence of a priest). 






A film which brings to light the story behind the story of a travesty of justice is more often than not,riveting. I was a young student when I first saw All The President's Men and it influenced my thinking. After seeing Spotlight I felt the same sorts of emotions but over a different issue; the influence of the Catholic Church over issues it would much prefer to see swept under the carpet.


Spotlight is a relatively complicated tale. Director Tom McCarthy has done a wonderful job in processing copious amounts of research into a coherent piece of investigative cinema. It does a better job of delivering its emotionally charged message than All The Presidents Men but doesn't quite match the intrigue of its counterpart. But they are different films depicting ground breaking revelations, and in the case of Spotlight, revelations which were right under our noses for some years.


The cast could not have been more competent. For me however, it was the smallest role of the core cast, which captured my attention most, that of Leiv Schreiber as Marty Baron the editor in chief. Schreiber captures the legend that is Baron brilliantly then convinces us that he could instil confidence in his co-workers so they could complete their task thoroughly, never forgetting where their real focus needed to be; on the church and its hierarchy.


The deal with this film is, it must be seen. What happened in parishes throughout Boston for many years is frightening but consider that the same things were going on in parishes all throughout the world. The most dramatic scenes from Spotlight come when new numbers are revealed as to the scale of the blatant abuse of trust. Then there is the final scene which deadens our hearts because the Spotlight team have only just scratched the surface. Don't miss Spotlight, it has earned the right to be seen and it must be seen. 11GUMS.     



     

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