issue 17 // volume 42

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A

arts // no. 7

 

Still from Spotlight (2015)

The heartbreaking ‘Boston Globe’ investigative story

» ‘Spotlight’ movie review

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

OOOOS

potlight, the Oscar-nominated

dramatic film based ona true
story, pays tribute to the Boston
Globe's Spotlight team who
uncovered a secret within the
Catholic Church in 2001-02. Ina
turn of events, these seemingly
lacklustre journalists become
fierce, answer-seeking reporters,

cohesively. The ensemble cast
features Mark Ruffalo, Michael
Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev
Schreiber, John Slattery, and
Stanley Tucci—all of whom
play off each other’s characters

: flawlessly.

The film begins with a

: simple point-of-view shot as an

: officer makes his way down the

: hallways of a police department.

: The first minute or so goes on to

: pull the moviegoers right into the
: unfolding scenario by revealing

: information piece by piece. The

: short scene comes to a close

: as the title, Spotlight, fades on

: and off the screen. The opening

: sequence sets a precedent, as the

: director, Tom McCarthy, chooses

: to let the story tell itself.

vying to produce their best article :

As I watched the film, I tried

: to pay attention to the smaller

: details. While most people tend
: to ignore varying frames and

: shots, others can catch onto the
: style of a director. Throughout

: the film, the use of colour plays
: a pivotal role. For the most part, :
: the actors are colour-coordinated, :
: varying from light blues to

: dark browns to beige-whites,

: according to whatever scene is

: taking place. In many situations, :
> one- or two-tone outfits are worn, :
: representing the working class

: aspect of these seemingly simple
: characters. Reporter Michael

: Rezendes (Ruffalo) starts the

: movie wearing lighter tones,

: but as the movie progresses,

: his clothing options darken

: as he becomes enveloped in

: the bigger picture among the

: Catholic community in Boston.

: Such attention to detail elevates
: the quality of Spotlight toa film

: that deserves the acclaim it is

: receiving around the Western
: world.

The degree of difficulty

: these journalists have to go

: through to uncover a story

: will inspire fellow journalists
: hoping to one day break a

story so big. The grunt work is

: portrayed and edited to a tee,

: with interviews from assaulter

: to assaulted transitioning

: smoothly. Additionally, frames

: throughout the film accentuate

: the dramatic aspect in the scene.
: When the team hears news of

: the unfolding case, the camera

: zooms out, revealing the clutter
: that fills their office, subliminally
: representing the clutter that

: these journalists will have to

: wade through to find the truth.

Near the end of the film, the

: pace is slowed dramatically—

: almost to a standstill—as the

: Spotlight team waits for the

: perfect time to release their story.
: The conversation is quite dull,

: but eventually the conclusion

: arrives and the moviegoer is once
: again interested as the epilogue

: begins.

Overall, Spotlight leaves the

: moviegoer with an overwhelming
: craving for social justice.

: The appeal of investigative

: journalism in our world is

: made relevant with excellent

: execution portrayed in this film.

: Ina compelling manoeuvre,

: the Spotlight team captures its

: audience and doesn't let go until

: the very end.

 

A promising start for new perlod drama

» ‘Mercy Street’ pilot review

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

OOOO

ercy Street is a period

drama that takes place in
1862 during the American Civil
War. It is heavily steeped in the
politics concerning the war,
but also examines strong moral
issues, such as race and slavery.

This show is actually based

on true events that happened in
the once-hotel Mansion House
Hospital in Union-occupied
Alexandria, Virginia. The
drama focuses on a distinct set
of characters and how chaotic
life was there in the early years
of the Civil War. Two of the
main characters are a couple
of volunteer nurses who are

: on opposite sides of the war.
: New England abolitionist

Mary Phinney (Mary Elizabeth
Winstead) has a very strong
opinion concerning slavery and

: hasa hard time sympathizing

: with the wounded Confederate

: soldiers who come into the

: hospital, seeing the war as black
: and white. On the other side is

: Confederate sympathizer Emma
: Green (Hannah James), the

: daughter of the wealthy owner

: of the hotel being used as a

: hospital. She originally comes

: to the hospital looking for her

: beau, but once she looks after

: some Confederate soldiers that

: were being neglected, she comes
: to realize she would like to help.

Mercy Street is beautifully

: crafted. The period detail is
: wonderful. The characters are

: very well developed and the

: actors play them very well. The
: moral issues surrounding the

: war are looked at closely, with

: a diversity of strong character

 

: opinions. Human nature is

: truly explored amid this crisis,
: both the good and the bad.
This period drama is

: exquisite and I can see fans of

Screenshot from Mercy Street

: Downton Abbey and similar

: shows really enjoying this series.
: Definitely a well-done show

: that | will continue to follow.