Last year, Michael Keaton ran through Times Square in his underwear in the Best Picture-winning film “Birdman”. This year, Keaton is captivating as the editor of a special investigative reporting division within the Boston Globe called “Spotlight”, tasked with uncovering the priest pedophilia scandal that plagued Boston in the early 2000s.
On Wednesday, October 28th, members of the Greenwich film community were honored to see a special screening of “Spotlight,” presented by the Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF). People braved the difficult and rainy weather to come and watch this compelling and important film.
Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci, “Spotlight” tells the story of the Boston Globe reporting team that spent almost a year uncovering the story of priests’ sexual abuse and the subsequent cover up by the Catholic Church.
“They knew and they let it happen. It could have been you. It could have been me. It could have been any of us,” Mark Ruffalo yells towards the end of the film, helping to capture one of his best roles to date.
An impeccable script by director Tom McCarthy and screenwriter Josh Singer as well as a raw score by Thomas Shore compliment the strong cast of this film creating the perfect equation for an award season film.
Even though the subject matter of this film is difficult to discuss, “Spotlight” shows the need for investigative journalism to uncover the injustices within society. The film is powerful and emotional, yet still up lifting as this reporting team works tirelessly to expose the predators plaguing their communities.
“I am here because I care. We’re going to tell this story. We’re going to tell it right,” Rachel McAdams says to a victim of priest’s pedophilia. She was right; this film is definitely one that cares.
This screening helped launch GIFF’s yearlong celebration of human rights. Over the course of the year, we hope to highlight other important films that draw attention to important human rights issues.
If you were unable to make it to the screening, we highly recommend you see “Spotlight” when it comes to theaters November 6th.
A huge thank you to Open Road Films for allowing us to screen this film, Bow Tie Cinemas for the theater, as well as Val’s Putnam Wines and Greenwich Staffing for providing a lovely atmosphere for our guests. And, thank you to the Greenwich film community for coming out on a rainy Wednesday night to see this amazing film.
