Spotlight

Spotlight is exactly the movie I expected it to be. The well-written script doesn’t let the viewer get lost despite the abundance of names and characters, and it achieves escalation by precisely dispensing information. The actors perform with gusto as though this was the most important theatre play of their career. It’s thus all the more regrettable that their characters play only the roles of peculiar investigative journalists, but none of them has a more direct connection to the investigated subject. But that would make the movie into a contrived thriller, and that’s not what Spotlight is about. Rather, it stays true to the real events and is thus an honest and courageous tribute to real journalist heroes, and most importantly, it addresses a very serious matter. That it does not change anything politically and barely anyone will remember it after a few years is a different story. (15/04/2016)

I don’t know what else to ask for. A masterfully written and brilliantly directed topical story that does not deviate for a moment from its established narrative pace and presents its shocking content to the uninitiated consumer in such an authentic and gripping way that they immediately want to take up investigative journalism by day and shoot horny priests in their private chambers by night. Plus the great protagonists, whose character is (rightly) sketched out only peripherally as part of the investigation process, but whose performances I could have easily endured two hours longer, all the way to the lecherous gates of the seemingly untouchable Vatican... 90% (20/01/2016)

Procedural minimalist journalistic drama par excellence, which is about journalism and journalists as much as about the topic of that coverage. In a way, it's a movie coverage, how an honest investigative coverage is made, rather than a journalistic thriller that you might have expected based on what the coverage is about and what it reveals. With few exceptions proving the rule, no room for background or personal issues. Only a few months of obtaining source after source, confirming the credibility of sources, documents, statistics, statements, spending endless hours in the archives, and gradually completing the puzzle piece by piece until a complete disturbing picture emerges. Whoever likes this way of brief portraying things where the events are observed from distance, will clearly enjoy it. It called for being captured and build purely on that case, to focus more on the emotions or the priests, the Church and the victims, and the genre rules of the journalistic thriller could be respected, but there are other movies to do this job. And it is precisely this seeming impartiality and civility that makes it even more impressive and, as a result, more disturbing, as only the simple facts can do, and how it could have never been achieved by too emotional movie. (06/01/2016)

Cheap, economical and yet A-grade filmmaking, which is what Hollywood is all about. Spotlight isn't about emotions, it's about facts, hence the Oscars. A great thing and the biggest drawback for the viewer, as this two-hour procedural is a bit monotonous, tiresome and impersonal in places. On the other hand, the issues it covers and the testimonials it leaves are unprecedented, almost demonic, and a clear indication that the church is first class crap. (15/05/2016)

An incredible surprise in how the film is shot with great acting performances. The actors don't unnecessarily draw attention to themselves but act in a way that highlights an incredibly strong theme, showing the corruption of society, primarily American, and its integration of faith into life. But this can be applied to other topics as well. If any film deserves an Oscar, it's Spotlight. (08/02/2016)