Actor, Writer, Director Tom McCarthy's in just 5 films has showcased his ability to touch the heart, the mind and the soul of his devoted audiences. Spotlight is much more than the latest film from Tom McCarthy, it's the year's most important film.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
What happens when those forces of evil are of flesh and blood, and are the people that are the authority? Click through for my full review of this incredible movie.
The power of the Church is on full display in Spotlight, but the focus and pace of the film is immersed into the day-to-day investigative world that is and was the Boston Globe's Spotlight team.
Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d’Arcy James, Billy Crudup and Stanley Tucci bring to the big screen the emotions, passion and determination of this special team.
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer's script is a perfect suspenseful thrill ride dissecting a terribly emotional and devastating truth about the Catholic Church. The way we uncover the details as the team had and even stumble when we learn the horrible secrets left open for decades. The film never wavers or has a moment of dullness. The constant pace and breath that each scene has highlights just how fluid this script is. The power and heartbreak of the situation isn't just focused solely on the uncovering journalist and Boston Globe family, we even are treated to those stuck in the middle trying to defend, deflect, and dilute the impact of the truth finally been set free. Check out this powerful moment from film that highlights Paul Guilfoy's tremendous performance as the Church's voice of reason, Pete Conley.
As script writing, direction and overall film Spotlight should garner award consideration also in the amazing acting. If there was an ensemble acting award, this film should win it. The amazing amount of performances defies odds as it's impossible to have found a scene that was worth cutting. I could have invested another hour with these characters and certainly with the real people that inspired them. Tom McCarthy's ability to have created real living people in all of his films is his greatest attribute. He understands the real heart in each moment and the actors he's assembled completely revere bate that heart and passion on screen. You can't look away. You can't stop listening. You can't stop believing that these horrible truth are not only there, but they are more massive in scope and number than you can imagine. This is not an isolated element of a massive organization that yields incredible power, but the ultimate damning circumstance of a system without checks. Spotlight doesn't highlight or even show us the Priests, instead we see those effected and humiliated by those authority figures. We see the victims and we see it through the eyes of the team that unearthed all the necessary stories to make this system start to crumble. Don't miss out on the best film about journalism and easily the best film of 2015.
The music of Howard Shore heightens the emotional pull just as beautifully as DP Masanobu Takayanagi is always in constant motion. There is a don't stop mentality while experiencing the film. Each scenes moves into next with a real urgency to get to the truth. The pacing of the film is constant and without fault.
Spotlight opens in select theaters tonight! For more information on where to see the film please go, here.
For more information about the film itself please go, here.
If there is one film you NEED to see this year, it is Tom McCarthy's Spotlight.
