Spotlight [DVD]

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏! 𝑰𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔! The topic of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the United States was first formally publicized in 1985 when a Louisiana priest pleaded guilty to 11 counts of molestation of young boys. A study conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice )which analyzed these allegations of sexual abuse from 1950 to 2002) indicated that over this span of time 11,000 allegations had been made against 4,390 priests (which is approximately 4% of these priests) in the United States. To read this report and its subsequent findings please refer to this link: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2004_02_27_JohnJay/index.html Spotlight is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer. It film follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States, and its investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. It is based on a series of stories by the Spotlight team that earned The Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The film features an ensemble cast including Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci, with Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, and Billy Crudup in supporting roles. Covering the span of approximately 30 years worth of interactions ‘Spotlight’ is in the perfect position to be considerably incomprehensible; with the exception of some dialogue centered around name drops (𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔 🙄) and those in which characters are expected to read between the lines Singer and McCarthys’ writing and direction makes for an investigation that is gripping and easily digested. Still a tough pill to swallow regardless: there is a deeply intimate intermingling of elements throughout that threatens convolution, but the networks of communication and their subsequent influence on the main conflict are maintained as priorities. At times there are characteristics that seem persistently internalized (like motivation), the lack of cognizance in these regards doesn’t distract from the bigger picture at hand. In preparation for their specific roles both Keaton and Ruffalo met with their real life counterparts (Walter Robinson and Michael Rezendes, respectively). The interviews conducted between them happened over the course of several months (with both Robinson and Resendez often on set) and involved lengthy attempts at replicating and adapting their various patterns of behavior (including vocal patterns!). Their subsequent representations on-screen were reacted to approvingly and they went as far as separately agreeing that watching Ruffalo and Keaton was “like looking into a mirror”. What's most impressive is the humbling dramatization of their performances and the fact that they remain statically dignifying: they never rise above the seriousness of the enclosed subject matter while still packing a punch. As equally important is the presence of those representing victims interviewed - with Jimmy LeBlanc being an actual survival of clergy abuse- and the extent at which they deliver dialogue that is both tear worthy and contextually insightful. Due to the fidelity to its subject matter and commitment to authenticity this is the first movie to win the prestige of a Veritas Award. This devotion goes above and beyond flashy aesthetics and gritty screenplay through the use of reporters (including those from 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒆 itself) being regularly referred to for their input regarding artistic and alternatively pragmatic related decisions. As a result of this sensitive pieces of information are leafed through, but they're parsimonious summaries are executed without sacrificing the overarching integrity of ‘Spotlight’ as a whole. It is worth noting that some characters have been noted as being misrepresented (like Paquin’s openness to admitting to abusing anybody being exaggerated and happening much earlier than it did in real life), but these alterations elaborate on the systematic nature of this investigation and the enormity of roadblocks compromising its success. Me? I have no way of personally connecting to scandals regarding sexual abuse happening within the context of a religious institution, but ‘Spotlight’ makes no presumptions about its audience to the point of apathy or indifference. This certainly isn't the most exciting watch, but it's expertly crafted, expertly researched, and expertly contained. Above all else: any film tackling a culture of silence in this regard has my utmost gratitude, and the Vatican recently announcing the appointment of a tribunal in an attempt to hold accused Bishops accountable speaks to the transformative nature of films like this that are often hiding in plain sight. For those of you out there struggling with this form of exploitation I always like to explicitly say that I am here for you. That I don't need to live your truth to enthusiastically engage with it. That your truth is always worth listening to: I guarantee that For anyone interested in knowing more about clergy abuse and to anyone that needs to file a report please refer to the following resources as necessary: https://www.camdendiocese.org/clergysexabuseresources/ https://reportbishopabuse.org/

'Spotlight' was one of the most riveting films I have seen this year. I viewed the film while my tea got cold, my dinner waited, because I had to see the end. Of course, I knew the end, I live in New England, and I remember these days, but how the story was born, the reporters and the Spotlight portion of the Boston Globe just entranced me. The Globe has a great reputation and when a new Editor in Chief, Marty Baron, played by Liev Schreiber, comes to the Globe he is looking for a story that will garner more readers and will prove to in Boston's best interests. And, did he get what he wanted and more. Walter Robinson, played by Michael Keaton, is a superb newspaper man, a leads this elite group of four journalists who can carve out a side of history. What Baron found was a small story about a priest abusing children, he suggested this avenue. The group, at first reluctant, fell into this story full force, working around the clock, this team was the best. The reporters included Mike Rezendes, played by Mark Ruffalo, and Ruffalo gives this role everything he has, superb. Sacha Pfeiffer, played by Rachel McAdams, another fabulous actor,and Matt Carroll, played by Brian d’Arcy James. The editor at the time, Ben Bradlee, Jr., played by John Slattery, is the most reluctant to pursue the story, but he was quickly initiated. As the team finds clues, interviews victims, lawyers and the like, the entire story unfolds. This is a systematic cover up of abuse of thousands of children, at least by 70 Priests in Boston, and it spread throughout the world. It is sickening to think this abuse went on for years and priests were moved from parish to parish, lives destroyed, millions paid out to the victims. The Catholic Church was culpable and turned a blind eye, it is very difficult to understand this folly. Why the Church is still standing is a testament to someone's faith. Such a superb film in every area, storyline, directing, music, and the actors. A true story come to life. Highly Recommended. prisrob 02-23-16

Am Anfang von "Spotlight" steht eine finstere Film Noir Sequenz, eine Rückblende ins Jahr 1976. Das Szenario wirkt schemenhaft, man erkennt aber, dass die Szene eine Polizeistation zeigt. Eine Mutter und ihr Sohn wollen etwas anzeigen, doch ein Priester und ein Anwalt intervenieren in dieser Sache, so dass die Anzeige vielleicht fallen gelassen wird. Draussen auf der nächtlichen Straße wartet eine schwarze Limousine. "Spotlight" ist der Film, der bei der diesjährigen Oscarverleihung den Preis als bester Film erringen konnte. Ausserdem wurde das Drehbuch des Regisseurs Tom McCarthy, das er gemeinsam mit Josh Singer verfasste, preisgekrönt. Es gab vier weitere Nominierung: Beste Regie, Bester Nebendarsteller Marc Ruffalo, Beste Nebendarstellerin Rachel McAdams und Bester Schnitt Tom McArdle. Der bedrückende Film befasst sich mit dem Thema "Sexueller Mißbrauch in der römisch-katholischen Kirche" - ein Thema, das lange Zeit verschwiegen und versteckt wurde und erst seit Mitte der 90er Jahre aufgrund diverser Berichterstattungen eine immer größere öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit weltweit erreichen konnte. Davor war es ein großes schambesetztes Tabuthema für die vielen Opfer und die Kirche mit den Tätern aus den eigenen Reihen recht tolerant umging. Man zog den Priester, Erzieher oder Mönch einfach aus seinem Wirkungskreis ab und versetzte ihn in eine neue Gemeinde. Doch der Reue über das teuflische Verhalten folgte die Wiederholung der Schandtat. Eine Kettenreaktion eines Teufelskreises. Als die traumatischen Erlebnisse durch die Opfer öffentlich gemacht wurden, bekam die Kirche so einen starken Druck, dass sie ihre gängige Praxis endlich überdenken mussten. Auch in Deutschland wurden zahlreiche Mißbrauchsfälle aufgedeckt, was viele Austritte aus der Kirche zur Folge hatte. Die Kirche hatte plötzlich an Vertrauen verloren und auch heute noch hat sich die Institution noch nicht ganz von diesen Skandalen erholt. "Spotlight" skizziert den "Bostoner Skandal", der von der einem kleinen Team von Journalisten der beliebten Tageszeitung "The Boston Globe" im Jhar 2002 aufgedeckt wurde. Anstoß gab der neue Chefredakteur Marty Barron (Liev Schreiber). Der Journalist aus Miami ist ein stiller Aussenseiter: Unverheiratet, Jude und ausserdem hasst er Baseball. Aber er gibt in seiner ersten Redaktionskonferenz den Anstoß an sein Team, die Geschichte über den Priester John Geoghan zu machen, der sich wohl an Dutzenden Kindern vergangen hat und von Pfarrei zu Pfarrei verschoben wurde. Seine Verfehlungen mit dem Wissen von ganz oben...was soviel heißt, dass der beliebte Kardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou) sicherlich davon gewusst haben müsste. Barron will aber mehr als nur einen Schuldigen überführen - er will über diesen Einzelfall hinausgehen. Vielleicht, so Baron, steckt dahinter ein System. In einer Szene des Films trifft dieser Baron den Kardinal, der ihm zum Abschied des Gesprächs einen Katechismus schenkt. Law meitnte Presse und Kirche müssen zusammenarbeiten, Baron stellt aber klar, dass die Presse immer unabhängig sein muss. Nun beginnt das monatelange Recherchieren seines Investigations-Team "Spotlight": Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton),, Sacha Pfeifer (Rachel McAdams) und Matt Carroll (Brian de Arcy James) sowie der Boss Ben Bradlee jr. (John Slattery). Es bringt in Erfahrung, dass das Erzbistum von den Taten gewusst und sie regelmäßig durch Versetzung des Täters vertuscht hatte, durch Geld das lebenslange Schweigen der Opfer erkauft und damit auch einen Gerichtsprozess vermieden hatte, und schließlich die gerichtlichen Akten hierzu aus dem Gerichtsarchiv hatte auslagern lassen. Die Missbrauchsfälle - zunächst als tragische Einzelfälle eingestuft - entwickeln sich immer in größerem Ausmaß. Anwalt Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci) hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, den Opfern gerichtlich zu ihrem Recht zu verhelfen, doch der Widerstand des Establishments (Kirche, Gericht, einflüssreiche Bürger) ist groß. Bald muss das Team damit klarkommen, dass sich von den 1.500 Priestern in Boston ca. 6 % des Kindesmissbrauchs schuldig gemacht haben.... Ohne Effekthascherei wird diese eindringliche und spannende Geschichte über eine journalistische Aufdeckung erzählt. Mit einen hohen Anspruch und angenehm unscheinbar wird die Arbeit der Zeitungsleute beschrieben. Was schon wie aus einer anderen Welt - wenn man die heutige Dominanz der Sensationspresse und der immer schnelleren und markanteren Schlagzeilen als Vergleich nimmmt. Der Film ist einerseits ein Plädoyer an die unabhängigen Medien. Andererseits an die Stärken der Presse, wenn sie adäquat und fundiert über ein Thema schreibt. Hier in "Spotlight" wird ein Tabuthema angekratzt und das ist sicherlich löblich, dass die Verbrechen von Priestern auch endlich ans Tageslicht kommen und nicht mehr hinter den Kirchenmauern versteckt und vertuscht werden können. Die katholische Kirche hat sogar den Film sehr gelobt und gab sich selbstkritisch. Ansonsten wird hier mit leisen Tönen, aber sehr intensiv eine Feier der journalistischen Ethik und des journalistischen Professionalismus zelebriert. Wem das altmodisch vorkommt, der liegt nicht falsch. Die Zeiten ändern sich. Selbst wenn seither erst 15 Jahre vergangen sind. Ich hoffe sehr, dass diese seriöse Art der Berichterstattung mit Wahrheitsgehalt nicht nur erhalten bleibt, sondern auch in Zeiten der unseriösen Sensationspresse wieder erstarken kann.

The Washington Post has a new motto on it masthead: “Democracy Dies in Darkness” Those of us who’ve been paying attention understand what it means and why it’s there. In another context the astronomer Carl Sagan once said science is “a candle in the dark”. The same applies to a free and independent press. Without it authoritarianism reigns, or, just as bad, anarchy, which is the direction the U.S. now seems tending toward, a time of false equality and relativity where every tweet and opinion is considered just as valid as the next. But the bedrock of awareness and comprehension is still books and knowledge, education and understanding, facts and truths. Without these, no coherence, clarity, understanding. Without them, bedlam, anarchy. Just because Tom, Dick and Harry have opinions doesn’t mean they know anything, and if they’re using Twitter or the equivalent as the main source of their self-expression (140 characters or less) they probably don’t. The Watergate scandal is now vanishing into the fogs and mists of history. If you’re 30 or even 40 you may not know much about it unless you are interested in political history. But it’s worth mentioning now as an object lesson in why a free and independent press is vital. Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters at the Washington Post who broke the story, were allowed to do their jobs. They became known as investigative journalists because their boss and editor (Ben Bradlee) had the support of the paper behind him. Crimes had been committed — crimes authorised by the President of the United States. How to proceed? With tail between the legs or guns blazing, so to speak? Woodward and Bernstein took the latter approach, manned up for a gunfight at the O.K. Corral. How did these reporters succeed? With dogged determination, hard work, tips, leads, phone calls, fact checking, follow-ups and clandestine meetings with an informer whom they code named Deep Throat, in cheeky tribute to a popular porn film of the same name at the time (circa 1973-74). They were professionals. They went to journalism school and graduated. They knew how to do their jobs. They were members of a free and independent press. The crass mentality of the mob these days will call them part of an elite. Fair enough. What’s wrong with that? They earned their stripes. They had credentials. They were qualified. They didn’t write about reality in 140 characters or less. Another object lesson from the above is provided by this important film under review, an Academy Award winner for Best Picture last year. In it we see, up close and personal, the process of investigative journalism as it is unfolding. The investigation concerns criminal acts perpetrated by members of the Roman Catholic Church in the American city of Boston — sex offences committed against children in its care and protection. Three cheers for irony. Spotlight in the film is a term used inside the journalistic structure of the Boston Globe, Boston’s largest daily newspaper. The group was small, four main reporters working under a senior editor. Their objective within Spotlight was to dig into stories hard to get at. In short, like some in the law enforcement professions, they were investigators. As such, by the sensitive nature of what they were tasked to do, they had to be highly skilled and experienced. The story hinges on a crucial personnel decision made by management at the Globe in 2001. A senior editor was brought in from the outside, a person with no history in and ties to Boston. His name was Marty Baron. He grew up in Florida and started out with the Miami Herald, but had recently come over to the Globe from the New York Times. As senior editor he was responsible for the metro section of the paper, which included work by Spotlight. When he arrives Spotlight is pretty low key. The team is dealing with a lingering story that has lost its legs, if it ever had any. Baron wants the team to be bolder, to look into something highly relevant to the local community. Through his own work scanning past metro columns he has noted some cursory references to a tainted priest in the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church. A short article says a lawyer named Mitchell Garabedian made public his claim that the priest (John Geoghan) had been protected by Cardinal Bernard Law, the highest ranking bishop in the Boston archdiocese. Geoghan was a sex offender, a pedophile. The story went nowhere, killed off by the Church. Baron wants Spotlight to investigate. The Spotlight reporters — Walter Robinson, Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer and Matt Carroll — know what this means. They’re all Catholics, mostly lapsed but still Catholics, as Boston is largely a Catholic town. They gulp collectively. The beauty of Baron, though, is that he doesn’t have to gulp. He’s nothing like them. He’s Jewish, from Florida, not Catholic from Boston. The Church is just another entity or subject to him. It may be powerful and influential, but it isn’t almighty. It may operate above the law or try to, but it’s subject to it like any other group or institution. As outsider, Baron has no vested interest, no emotional stake and history in the Church. He is fresh, unblemished, objective, dispassionate. He’s a pro, the only sort that could have tackled the story and done it successfully. So, the reporters begin to dig. It’s tough going, hard work. Nobody wants to talk. Lawyers, priests, families, victims — most are mute. Those who have spoken out, or have tried to (for instance, some families of victims) have been silenced by the Church, bought off with payments made by crooked lawyers who are also bought off. Offending priests have been reassigned within the diocese, given “sick leave”, or are shipped out of town. The scandal is hidden, the elephant huge but unseen in the room. The work is tiring, taxing, tedious. It takes tenacity to follow leads, make phone calls, search directories, find scarce documents, knock on doors slammed in their faces. It’s not easy either to make damaged people (victims) or corrupt ones (priests, lawyers, educators) open up. But some do, especially the victims. It starts with them, with their childhood memories of confusion, guilt, shame and pain. As professionals, as journalists, the main duty of the reporters is to find and report facts, to get at and publish truths. But these things do not exist independently from the people they affect. The reporters understand this. So their work also humanises them. Out of human decency they befriend their suffering subjects, acting as therapists. Digging deeper, they discover a dozen or more priests who may be guilty of sex offences against children, both boys and girls. But this estimate, in fact, is low. It’s closer to 90, a full-blown scandal happening under their noses. And, as will be revealed in the film, the Globe is one of the last to know about it (with good reason). The priests were predators, targeting the most vulnerable individuals, mainly children from low-income, broken homes where fathers were absent. They acted as proxy fathers, and in fact the Church refers to them as Fathers, so the Church can’t be accused of lacking a sense of humour, wicked and cruel though it may be. If the film has a weakness, it’s in the judicial follow-up to these crimes. They went on for years and involved nearly a hundred priests, roughly 6% of the priesthood in Boston. As valuable as investigative journalism is, the judiciary is even more important: judges, attorney generals, prosecutors, grand juries — those with the power to subpoena, examine evidence, pass judgements, reach verdicts, determine sentences, demand punishments. I would like to know how many priests were excommunicated and incarcerated for their crimes. How many were rehabilitated as persons, not as priests? Where are they now? How are they atoning for their sins? Cardinal Bernard Law is not one who is atoning. He’s still protected. Like a Nazi elected mayor of Asunción in Paraguay, he’s now a cardinal in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. What a laugh. Why doesn’t the whole creaky edifice of Catholicism come crashing down? This is the 21st century, not the 12th. Inadequate, partial answers: history, tradition, inertia; ignorance, superstition, fear. It’s the old problem, well documented in “Life of Brian”, still the greatest parody on religion ever filmed — people enslaved, conditioned by authority instead of challenging it by thinking critically, rationally, independently for themselves. Enraged at the Papacy, King Henry VIII destroyed the Roman Catholic churches and monasteries in 16th century England. The measure was extreme, but he had a good point, or thought he did. Sometimes I think so too, and this is one of them, having just watched this magnificent, disturbing film. The Church is a museum relic. Rescue your Sundays and life from it.

This movie on 4K was worth upgrading. This was an excellent movie which tells only a small story of a huge problem in the Catholic Church organization. I feel for all the children who were abused by deviant priests and had to keep it to themselves so they wouldn't embarrass their family. The movie is excellent and tells a story worthy of being told. The acting is excellent and should have been worth an academy award.

Good Movie, great print

Indispensable para entender el valor del periodismo en la sociedad como herramienta para denunciar abusos, ejercer derechos y cambiar estructuras.