Easily the prettiest girl in the Oscar pageant so far, Spotlight is one of my favorite films of the year. And before you go, “Sure, but who wants to see a movie about child abuse?” — rest assured, it’s a movie about the process of uncovering the truth about the great scandal of the Catholic Church, beginning in Boston and sans a lot of gory details of the sickness, itself. It’s brutal enough, to be sure, but think All the President’s Men with Bishops and Cardinals.
It’s a gripping story, and, much like the participants in the story, the audience comes to a slow, unsettling recognition: on some level, most of us could see something was off, and we let it go. It was right under many of my fellow Catholics’ noses, and, somehow, we didn’t acknowledge anything smelled funny — why not?
It reminded me of my own encounter with a predator within a religious institution (not a Priest). I remember thinking, even then, that if I could see it at fourteen years old, why couldn’t the adults around me? Not to be glib, but we didn’t “see” Paul Lynde either, even though … we did.
I guess it was like when the Hawaiians first encountered war ships; since they had no frame of reference, it is said they didn’t “see” them. I’m not sure. This is a first rate, classy movie that’s refreshingly for adults rather than tweens.
Michael Keaton doubles down on his Oscar chances from last year, but he won’t be alone. Expect this movie to get no less than eight Academy Award Nominations. If following that horse race is your thing (it is mine), then run, don’t walk, to witness this one.
Just splendid.
(Loudinni specializes in reviews under 500 words sans spoilers.)
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