The Case for the Adult Drama – In Praise of Spotlight

I am a 40-year-old man, but it is not often that I think of myself as a real adult. Sadly, an even less frequent occurrence is an outing to the movies that rewards me with the proper respect due someone of my age. It is with that in mind, then, that I must take a moment to stand and applaud Spotlight, the story of a team of Boston Globe reporters tasked with uncovering the widespread child sex abuse and systemic cover-up of which the Catholic Church was guilty. More than any other movie I saw in 2015, Spotlight had the decency to assume its audience was comprised of thoughtful, mature adults, capable of consuming, understanding and appreciating a serious story without being talked down to, distracted or titillated.

Before I continue praising Spotlight, please understand that this is not a “get off my lawn” screed meant to attack all the big budget “event” movies based on pre-existing properties and inhabiting cinematic universes. I am not one to turn my nose up at superheroes, monsters, wild action, jump scares, gross-out humor, or good, old fashioned sex and violence. Used properly, as they often are, any of those elements can thrill and delight me. (If you think I didn’t get chills watching Godzilla spit fire in 2014, you are sorely mistaken.) However, based on the popular movie landscape, it seems as if Hollywood believes that these features are the only means of appealing to viewers. Spotlight is a wonderful reminder that there are other ways.

In the span of the film’s 128 minute run time, not a punch is thrown nor a shot fired. Nary a breast is exposed, nor a kiss shared. At no point does a supernatural being intervene, and the Earth’s existence is never threatened by interdimensional robots. Yet there is tension and excitement throughout, and the gravity of the situation is conveyed expertly.

At its core, Spotlight is about people at work. The job, investigative journalism, is not glamorous. In fact, it can be downright tedious, and the film is not afraid to display that tedium. However, the work is important and those doing the work are dedicated and tireless. That is what drives this story, the reporters’ determination to keep grinding away, knowing that they are onto something massive. This team can uncover and end a cycle of abuse and secrecy that victimized thousands, but any misstep could mean being discredited by the Church and allowing the abuse to continue unexposed. The stakes are high, but the film trusts us to understand that, without resorting to gratuitous scenes of traumatic abuse, sneering villains or moral speechifying. The small details (the face of a victim recounting his story, the quiet pauses in a meeting about how the team should proceed, the particulars of a phone call, a list of names on a sheet of paper) carry great weight here, each building upon the one before it to create something of utmost significance.

The actors are all also doing powerful, understated work. No one’s performance screams, “Hey, look at me, I am doing so much ACTING!” Instead, Spotlight’s core group of Michael Keaton, Brian d’Arcy James, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo deliver characters that feel lived in. They express intelligence, fatigue, excitement, anger, and compassion in ways actual people might, rather than as actors hoping for awards. These are actors that, with the help of a smart script and direction that refuses to supersede the story, are doing their jobs, quietly yet very effectively, just like the reports they portray.

Again, I feel I must reiterate that I am not a grumpy old man. I am a movie lover happy to indulge any and all genres. However, seeing Spotlight served as a reminder that dramas presenting serious material to an adult audience without pandering to or insulting that audience are too few and far between. There must be room made for mid-sized films tackling tough issues that inspire people to examine the world in which they live and perhaps see that world with a fresh perspective. Art should make us laugh. It should amaze and mystify us. It should frighten and disgust and entertain us. It should also help us see the world’s flaws, and hopefully show us a path to fixing those ills. Spotlight does that, not by being flashy, but by buckling down and doing the work. For that, I say, “Thank you.”