aixcentric

‘Spotlight’ was an investigative programme run by 4 journalists at the Boston Globe.  Asked by a new editor to dig into a case of child abuse by a local priest, the writers became increasingly horrified by the numbers of abuse cases they uncovered, and also by their realisation that the incidents were being covered up by the church, the justice system and many locals who chose to look the other way.

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation which took place in the early 2000s.  Somewhat like ‘All the Presidents Men’ which detailed the Watergate cover-up, the audience already knows the outcome.  So the impetus of the film lies with taking us through the patient investigation, hearing the testimony of survivors, and witnessing the stone-walling of those in power.

It’s amazing too how such a relatively recent operation was resolutely pre-digital and involved the journos sifting through dusty basements with cuttings files or working in libraries and photocopying documents.  It also shows the power of a local press who have the funding, and time, to bring pressure to bear on the guilty.

The film has been nominated for 6 Oscars and made many critics’ ‘Top Ten of 2015’ lists.

At the Renoir.

Here’s a clip: http://www.lescinemasaixois.com/films/spotlight