I saw this movie some time ago. It was just after the wide release of the film. When my movie companion was available for a film, I suggested it. He said, “Nothing like a major church cover up to make one cynical before the holidays.”
Okay, so that’s his humor, but yes—Indeed. He had a good point.
But I didn’t write about it. Not right after seeing it.
Not for days.
Then a week later at least, I attended a Catholic Mass (my first since one long ago as a young child). I watched a youth accompany the priest and the higher members of the church. And I understood why I hadn’t written yet about the film. I needed to see that youth in that position to understand more deeply what the movie had been saying.
First, as to the movie—it is one of the best of the year. The plot is perfectly paced. The character development is rich. The suspense is present without being all-encompassing. The emotion is palpable.
And the acting—the acting is powerful. I am almost sad when watching such a film with an ensemble cast so fabulous together. None, very likely, will garner a “best ___” trophy. Nominations, I’m sure. But the key here is how they work together, not individual performances.
Then, Damn. Truly as I typed those words (sitting on an airplane between Paris and Atlanta), I realized too that is the low that was this truth: it was how they worked together: the priests, the church, the bishops, the victims, their families, the police, the prosecutors, the lawyers…. That is how this unfathomable tragedy occurred. It was an ensemble of people who worked together—even if not in agreement, but together—and ignored the horror.
For those who don’t know, the film follows the Boston Globe journalism team that broke the story of the molestations (and much more so, the cover-ups) in the Catholic Church. As my companion and I discussed afterward, the issue has become so engrained in our culture as that it is hard for me to recall the time “before” the issues were made known. Then again, I can too remember that year—2002’ish, when story after story broke. When we first thought, “What?” When jokes started. When eye rolls happened. Then I’m sad that I cannot remember the time before we knew of these tragedies.
I’m appreciative of the movie for bringing back the utterly shameful nauseating issue that it is. That has happened for so very long. That is not okay. That has been covered up. Swept under. Ignored. I can only hope that continued talk about the issues can help lessen their occurrence in the future.
I’m also appreciative of the look here at investigative journalism. In the days of instant news, much (most?) of which is not vetted or well researched and too often repeated without thought, Spotlight highlights the need for true deep investigation into issues (this made me think of the recently-watched Truth). I was reminded of the documentary I watched, Dirty Wars, which highlighted the depth of this sort of reporting–there, risking life. Here, devoting time and heart. Both are necessary to keep our press and our media as vital parts of our society—investigating, exposing, educating, and opining with deeply informed views.
Back to the film—the film, as I said, is one of this year’s best. It is intense. Deep. Heartfelt. Complex. I was literally (and when I say “literally,” I mean that in its true sense) nauseated at least once while watching. A few times, tears streamed down my face. The emotion was thick and harsh.
But it was an important film to see. I wish all would see it. Remember the cover up. Work to not let that happened again.