Shining light on truth

Spotlight

DISTRIBUTOR: Entertainment One

RELEASE DATE: 28 January 2016

RATING:  M

Spotlight tells the story of the one-in-a-million article that made a worldwide difference. When an investigation by reporters at The Boston Globe uncovers unusual patterns revealing systemic protection of paedophile priests, they not only shock the world, they also provide the seeds for a film that demonstrates just how cutting a well-told truth can be.

There is something for us to consider when we WITNESS SIN. We may tell ourselves that what we are seeing is ‘REALLY NOT THAT BAD’, or that we are overlooking something in LOVE, but is the mercy we are extending for the perpetrators or ourselves?

Michael Keaton stars as Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson, the editor who led a 2001 investigation into Father John Geoghan. A Roman Catholic priest, Geoghan had numerous accusations of sex abuse levelled against him, yet was moved from parish to parish each time problems were reported. As fellow reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) pull at the threads of his story, they begin to realise the Boston Archdiocese had full knowledge not only of Geoghan’s crimes but also those of a further 86 priests who had been abusing the innocent. What emerges is a film not so much about the molestation of children – Spotlight actually steers clear of delving into the lurid details – but the failure of God’s representatives to care for those least capable of protecting themselves.

The revelations made by The Boston Globe led to investigations that uncovered similar crimes across the US and in nations around the world. Apologies, compensation and arrests were made in countries as distant as Norway and Belgium, and in cities as close to home as Wollongong and Ballarat.

Spotlight’s storyline progresses beyond the church conspiracy to consider the cover-up perpetrated by everyday people with no particular religious affiliation. Robby’s team comes in contact with police officers, lawyers, administrators and even other reporters who all knew what was going on, so that he comes to observe, ‘It seems everyone already knows the story except us’.

Victim’s advocate Phil Saviano summarises the point perfectly:

‘Mark my words. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse them.’

The film’s implication is that people remained silent because they didn’t want to risk becoming a social pariah. However, their self-preservation shielded the abusers and perpetuated their crimes. There is something for us to consider when we witness sin. We may tell ourselves that what we are seeing is ‘really not that bad’, or that we are overlooking something in love, but is the mercy we are extending for the perpetrators or ourselves?

Spotlight is a superbly paced, well-acted revelation that deserves the accolades it has collected from film festivals and award ceremonies. It’s also a cautionary tale for Christian organisations which believe their service places them above the laws of the One they serve.

However, if there is one fault in the film’s presentation, it is the way it perpetuates, perhaps unknowingly, another form of abuse. As the magnitude of the cover-up emerges, Mark Ruffalo’s character angrily denounces the church and makes an unsettling extension of the people who suffered:

‘I actually really loved going to church as a kid. I really thought that one day I’d go back and I was holding on to that. They took that from me.’

I’m sure the scriptwriters didn’t mean to place those outraged by the deceit of church leaders on equal footing with the children abused. However, Ruffalo’s character makes all of us victims and provides a ready justification for anyone who chooses to reject God’s call. Yet his claim to potential Christianity is as unrealised as the officials who told themselves they would one day say something. It’s easy to hide behind what we might have done if things had been different. Worse, his statement actually abuses an innocent God. No-one can accuse the Father of taking sin lightly – he promises to deliver eternal judgement on those who refuse to repent. Neither can they suggest he lacks mercy – he sent his own son to suffer at our hands so that literally any sinner might be spared.

Spotlight is a sober warning of the power of the truth, and should go a long way to reminding us why the media exists and what it can hope to achieve. However, we should be wary of sitting in judgement on those who have their sins revealed. The light that exposes them can too easily expose us as well.

This review comes from The Lutheran February 2016. Visit the website to find out more about The Lutheran or to subscribe.