Spotlight

Hello hello! Today, I'm going to talk to you about Spotlight, which is a film that I really liked.

Spotlight tells us the story of the Catholic priest paedophilia scandals, revealed in 2001 by the Boston Globe, an American newspaper. This film tells true facts, and the journalists who worked on that case won the Pulitzer Price in 2003.

Spotlight is the name of an investigation column of the Boston Globe managed by a small team of four journalists (the « spotlight team »). They work in secret. They don't speak about their discoveries to anyone outside the team until they have enough material to publish a story.

For his first writing conference, the new editor notices a small article that a journalist has written on the last week-end edition. A priest has been accused of pedophilia. He has been molesting kids in six different parishes over the last thirty years. The cardinal was aware of it for fifteen years and did nothing. The attorney for the victims says he can prove that the church covers its priests to avoid scandals, even if they are criminals, but the accusing documents are under seal. The editor asks for further investigation and gives the job to the spotlight team.

During their investigation, the journalists will be confronted, even among their colleagues, with a common fear of the consequences for the Catholic community, which is very important in Boston. They will meet victims, priests, and will be thwarted by the church until the team discovers the sealed documents that prove that the church institution knew it all from the begining. They publish the story and the cardinal has to resign.

Through the film, the number of victims has increased, and the number of criminal priests too : what was 13 suspected priests in all Boston at the beginning of the investigation has become 87 priests at the end of it.

I loved this film because when I saw it, it totally drew me into the story, and I couldn't leave it. It works as a thriller that picks you up and holds you until the end. I think it is a mix of suspense, and dreadful political facts. What seduced me first is the fact that it is based (and even more than that) on true events. I liked it because when I see a movie wich is a « true story » such as Spotlight, it makes me feel concerned about it and attracts me even more.

I had never heard anything about that story so I was glad to know about it.

I think Spotlight is a film that everybody should see because it is a political movie that tells us about journalism and freedom of the press, which is a fundamental right, and without which we wouldn't be aware of anything.

I was impressed by the quality of the actors playing and the film editing liveliness : the movie lasts two hours, but you don't see how time flies.

See you!