Spotlight

It is not without reason that is cinema called the factory of dreams. We expect from it a spectacle, action, excitement, tension, and a trip to a place where an ordinary mortal will never, or even want to, reach. Spotlight goes against all these trends and offers unexpectedly civil acting, investigation devoid of all the usual thriller clichés, and shows journalism as it probably actually takes place. i.e., as a tedious gathering of facts, persuading for interviews, and simply routine work. Essentially any profession that you strip of its cinematic glamour suddenly looks terribly ordinary. Detectives don't run around on rooftops and neutralize villains, and spies don't eliminate enemies by the dozen. Spotlight represents that significantly smaller face of American cinema, which studios usually send to film festivals. And in the case of Spotlight, those festival laurels are well-deserved. I do wonder how the audience's support would turn out if it were not such a scandalous case, but oh well. These journalists don't stand against the machinery of a powerful corporation or a corrupt politician who sends deadly squads against them, but even so, strong emotions are felt. Spotlight offers a display of great acting talents, but this time the stars subdued their egos and didn't showcase themselves, but rather their characters. For me, I give it a thumbs up but I don't feel like giving it a fifth star because, although it may sound sacrilegious, Spotlight strips off the cinematic glamour so much that in some parts, its depiction of reality becomes boring. Overall impression: 80%. (07/05/2016)

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)

An investigative conversation film par excellence. An ambitious and confident work that must make all Catholic priests clench their asses (sorry). But lest this be mistaken for ugly cynicism, there were two tremendously moving moments where not one of my eyes remained dry. I don't like generalizations and collective assignment of blame to any group, because almost everything is about specific people in the first place. So, although I’m a resolved atheist, I don't condemn faith or religion as a whole, but "only" their institutions. For these have failed in the first place and are only made up of people anyway. Spotlight is an extremely important film, given the seriousness of the subject matter, and it's terribly good that it was made. "Don't thank me, just get these assholes, will ya?" (21/12/2017)

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. (14/05/2016)