Netflix Pick of the Week: Spotlight

Netflix Pick of the Week: Spotlight

Shattering my expectations of what I thought was good cinematography, Spotlight is a groundbreaking drama based off the true story of the Boston Globe’s investigative journalism team, Spotlight, which shined a light on true horrors that face us daily. With its dark humor and cruel honesty, it’s no wonder Spotlight won Best Picture.

Actor Mark Ruffalo (Michael Rezendes) has taken the public’s curiosity and anger and channeled it into his character. His acting is surreal and his pain can be felt as he struggles through his journey of finding the truth. Ruffalo’s determination leads viewers to believe that hope trapped within a corrupt system can still be found.

Rachael McAdams (Sacha Pfeiffer) plays a compassionate, heartfelt, and more than relatable investigative journalist for the Boston Globe. The toll the story takes on Pfeiffer, and her family, breaks our spirit but highlights the importance of grasping the truth in a world lost in lies. She represented a beacon of hope that makes the dark world the Spotlight team navigates just a little bit lighter.

Other actors such as Liev Schreiber (Marty Baron), Michael Keaton (Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson), and Stanley Tucci (Mitchell Garabedian) did an excellent job portraying their characters. This movie’s thrilling and realistic plot that ensured viewers’ attention, still made us wonder, would the team fail to reveal the ongoing corruption in the Catholic church? It was the fear that no one would ever know the truth of what the church did that made these journalists determined from the start. You can see the hope draining from their eyes and the fear growing within them as they take us further into the dark world of one of Boston’s most shocking, detestable events. Each revelation drove them to uncover the story that struck the heart of Boston’s strong impenetrable catholic community.

Aside from the terrific performance of the actors, Spotlight does more than a job well done following the real story to a tee. Most films lose the truth of a real story after Hollywood’s dramatic touch is added, but Spotlight is one of the few that remained authentic. You can follow the timeline of the movie and not be able to find any major mistakes regarding the realistic accuracy of the film.

Spotlight is a well-orchestrated movie that captures the life, struggle, and suffering of the events leading up to the story published by the Boston Globe in 2002. It’s five out of five stars for me, and I’m sure you won’t disagree that Spotlight is not just a movie, but a tribute to the truth that needed to be seen.