"In the Spotlight": audience reviews, plot, cast, critics' comments

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

One of the most high-profile premieres of 2015 was Tom McCarthy's biographical drama Spotlight. Reviews of this film will be of interest to viewers who like to watch events that really happened in life on the screen, as well as fans of high-profile journalistic investigations. This story is based on the sexual harassment scandal in the Catholic Church that erupted in the 1990s and 2000s. It resulted in the resignation of American Cardinal Bernard Low in 2002. In this article, we will talk about the plot of the film, the cast, as well as inform about the reviews and comments left by the audience and critics.

Preparation

The script was originally written by director Tom McCarthy and co-written by Josh Singer. They became the main creators of the film "Inspotlight". Feedback noted that the pre-production work that preceded filming was done extremely meticulously, which ensured a good result.

Describing how he became interested in this case, McCarthy noted that it was an important film job for him. At first, the director was frightened by the scale, when the realization came of how huge the material was to be studied, how much work to do.

According to him, it was a big and exciting work that absorbed him almost immediately. It was fascinating not only to analyze the details of the investigation conducted several years before, but also to pay attention to the findings, trying to understand what exactly would be interesting to the viewer in this story. The collaboration with Josh Singer on the film "Spotlight" also benefited in this regard, because it became possible to discuss and talk about all the points.

The script was finally completed in 2013, almost immediately getting blacklisted, which is determined by the results of a survey at the end of each year, identifying the most important underestimated and not yet implemented projects.

Singer noted that for him one of the main goals was to demonstrate the role of journalism in society, which continues to be important, although it has recently weakened. According to him, they did not get a story about exposing the Catholic Church, but an attempt to visually show the work of the news department, its strength and power. The importance of journalism was central to him in this story.

Shooting

Spotlight began filming in September 2014. They took place in Massachusetts and Boston. Finished in Hamilton, Canada.

Then, for eight months, the picture was mounted, finalized and edited. To make the film more tense, several scenes and scenes had to be cut from it, due to which the narrative lost momentum.

Storyline

The film details an investigative report by the Boston Globe. As a result of their work, it was possible to establish that a large number of Catholic priests who served in the local metropolis raped children for many years.

At the time of this writing in 2003, journalists knew for sure about 87 rapist priests. For these publications, the publication received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

When the articles were printed and the case was publicized, the story began to grow rapidly. As a result, it was possible to identify more than 290 priests who turned out to be pedophiles. At the same time, there were about one and a half thousand priests in Boston at that time.

Later it turned out that the American cardinal Bernard Low was aware of the facts of sexual harassment, but he deliberately hid them in every possible way, helping the rapists to evade responsibility.

Lowe retired from Boston for Rome. Pope John Paul II entrusted him with several administrativeposts in the Roman Curia, and then appointed chief presbyter of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, located in Rome.

Cast

In reviews of the film "Spotlight" critics and viewers have repeatedly noted that the film has gathered a successful cast.

One of the main roles - Boston journalist Michael Rezendes - was played by American Mark Ruffalo. He was born in Wisconsin in 1967. His debut took place in the early 1990s in the little-known tapes "A Song for You", "Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance", "My Beauty".

Ruffalo's popularity came after Lisa Kholodenko's tragicomedy "The Kids Are All Right", Bennett Miller's sports drama "Foxcatcher", Ryan Murphy's drama "The Normal Heart".

Ruffalo has been repeatedly nominated for prestigious film awards. For example, for the role of Bruce Banner in Joss Whedon's fantasy action movie The Avengers or Dr. Lester Sheen in Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller Shutter Island.

For his work in the film "Spotlight" (2015), the actor was awarded the US Actors Guild Award. Nominated for a BAFTA Oscar (3rd time in his career, but no statuettes).

Michael Keaton

The role of W alter Robinson went to another Hollywood star - Michael Keaton. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1951.

Recognition came to him almost immediately. He received the Kansas City Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for one of his first performances in Ron Howard's 1982 comedy Night Shift.

He rose to fame when he started filming with Tim Burton, playing title characters in the superhero action movie "Batman" and the mystical black comedy "Beetlejuice". Also classic in his performance is the role of the Vulture in the paintings of John Watts, dedicated to Spider-Man.

After that, he faded into the background for a long time, not getting the main roles in truly successful films. Keaton's popularity returned in 2014 when he landed the lead role in Alejandro González Iñárritu's black comedy Birdman, appearing on screen as the half-forgotten actor Riggan Thompson. For this work, Keaton received the Golden Globe, the British Academy Film Award and an Oscar nomination.

Since 2016, his name star has been installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For his work in the film "Spotlight", the actor was awarded the US Screen Actors Guild Award for the best cast in a feature film.

In 2019, two premieres with his participation are being prepared at once. This is Jon Watts' fantastic action movie "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and Tim Burton's family fantasy "Dumbo".

Rachel McAdams

The female lead in this film went to Canadian actress Rachel McAdams. She appears as Sasha Pfeiffer.

Her film pathcounted from the early 2000s, when she appeared in the TV series "Famous Jet Jackson" and the TV movie "Shotgun Doll Love".

She really came into her own in 2002 when she landed the lead role in the Tom Brady comedy Chick opposite Rob Schneider. The real glory came to her two years later, again after the comedy. It was Mark Waters' "Mean Girls" tape. American, and soon Russian viewers saw her in the image of the sharp-tongued high school student Regina George, with whom the heroine Lindsay Lohan, who came with her parents from Africa and entered a public school in Illinois, had to get along.

Among her other high-profile works are Nick Cassavetes' melodrama The Notebook, David Dobkin's melodramatic comedy The Uninvited Guests, Roger Michell's comedy Good Morning.

For lovers of McAdams detectives, Irene Adler from Guy Ritchie's adventure film "Sherlock Holmes" will remain for a long time.

Nominations and awards

In the film "Spotlight" the actors and the roles they perform were remembered by many viewers and critics, who honored the tape with mostly positive reviews.

Rich at the tape and festival fate. In 2014, director Tom McCarthy received two awards at the Venice Film Festival. The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor went to Michael Keaton.

The film was nominated for an Oscar in six categories, winningwins in two of them. McCarthy and Josh Singer won Best Original Screenplay, and the film was named the best film of 2015 by the Academy Awards. Lost to McCarthy in the fight for the title of best director. The picture did not get the award for editing. Also among the nominees were actors Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams for Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively.

It is worth noting that the original screenplay duo also received the Screenwriters Guild of America Award, BAFTA, London Critics Circle Award.

At the same time, it cannot be said that the tape set a certain anti-record, repeating the achievement of Cecil Blount DeMille's melodrama "The Greatest Show in the World" in 1952. Then the film, which was recognized as the best of the year at the Oscars, received only one more award in addition to this statuette. By the way, then the script was also awarded (they only chose the best script for a feature film).

Looking at the number of awards it has won, it's clear why Spotlight is such a great movie.

Tom McCarthy

Tape director Tom McCarthy began his career as an actor. In 1992, he made his debut in Mike Beidner's tragicomedy Crossing the Bridge. He moved to the director's chair in 2003, when he directed the dramatic comedy "The Station Agent" according to his own script. The film premiered at the Sundance American Independent Film Festival.

After that, his directorial career wasmore:

• drama "The Visitor" about a lonely economics professor who goes to a conference on globalization only to run into illegal immigrants from Senegal and Syria in his old apartment;
• sports comedy "Win!" about an insecure lawyer who moonlights as a wrestling coach at school;
• fantasy comedy "The Shoemaker", the main character of which discovers a sewing machine in the basement of his own house. It allows him to transform into people who bring their shoes in for repairs.

Definitely the best film "Spotlight" in his directorial career. In 2018, McCarthy wrote the screenplay for Mark Forster's comedy adventure drama Christopher Robin.

Viewer Experiences

From the audience reviews of the film "Spotlight" were predominantly positive. The tape paid off at the box office, grossing almost $90 million in theaters on a budget that was more than four times smaller.

Topicality is one of the main advantages of Spotlight (2015). In the reviews, the audience, leaving the cinema, noted that the film touched upon important and topical issues regarding a deep attitude and attention to the things that surround us. One of the most pressing questions that the creators pose to the audience is who is more to blame: the one who commits a misdemeanor or crime, or the one who sees everything that happens, but does notwhile not reacting, not trying to stop violators.

Of particular interest was the fact that the tape is based on a real story, and relatively recent times. In reviews of the film "In the Spotlight" (2015), many viewers admitted that they still clearly remember the events of those months, the shock that all civilized society then experienced.

The plot is focused specifically on a journalistic investigation, which is dedicated to the criminal activities of pedophile Catholic priests. Particular emphasis is placed precisely on the fact that the church for many years tried in every possible way to hide them instead of publicizing their misdeeds.

The tape shows in detail how the clergy are trying to hush up this case. Everything happens in the best traditions of the bloodthirsty rulers of the past, whose time, as it turns out, has not yet completely passed. Threats, bribery, blackmail are used. The worst thing is when you find out that these horrors come from Christian priests who are ready to go to any lengths so as not to lose their privileges and not to drop their authority.

In reviews of the film "Spotlight" (2015), almost all the actors received well-deserved praise from the majority of the audience. This is Mark Ruffalo, who plays the most emotional and penetrating member of the team of investigative journalists, and Rachel McAdams as the only girl who, at the same time, turns out to be assertive, strong, courageous and uncompromising. Michael Keaton deserves a special mention for his portrayal of the head of the correspondent team, the most experienced and oldest of all.

As a result, the director turned out to be a real exciting thriller-investigation, focused on the story itself, but managed not to lose sight of other important elements so that the viewer was not bored and really interesting to watch. And this is the merit of the screenwriters, who have done so much for the success of this picture.

Opinions of film critics

Although Spotlight received a large number of awards and nominations, reviews from film critics were quite mixed. Many claims were made to the director and his creation. Apparently, this is why the tape managed to win only two Oscars, although it claimed more.

Many were disappointed that there was little action in the picture. Most of the screen time was devoted to dialogue that unfolded here and there.

Got and for other reasons the picture "In the spotlight". In reviews and reviews, film critics emphasized that the movie turned out to be too old-fashioned. Ethically and aesthetically, it is stuck in the 1970s or 1980s. Just at that time, in the Hollywood notion, instead of a cynical rascal newspaperman, the image of a truth-seeking journalist and an idealist appeared, capable of a professional feat, for example, forcing the president to resign after the Watergate scandal.

McCarthy has turned out to be a real ode to the profession of a journalist. With incessant phone calls, fateful planning meetings, inflexible editors, cunningcolleagues and eternally unreliable sources.

At the same time, the director emphasizes that all members of the investigation team grew up in Catholic families (except for the Jewish editor).

The result is a "conversational" film that does not keep you in suspense, but only lulls you to sleep. But this does not diminish the significance of the film "In the spotlight." The poster photo is familiar to all cinema fans today. After all, American film academics recognized this picture as the best that came out in 2015.