‘This Is Where It Counts’: ‘Spotlight’ Movie, On Church Abuse Exposé

In a series of stories in 2002, The Boston Globe exposed the church hierarchy’s cover-up of the abuse. The church is still struggling with the crisis, which Pope Francis addressed last month on his historic first visit to the United States, meeting with victims and declaring that “God weeps” for their pain.

Mark Ruffalo, who plays Globe Spotlight reporter Michael Rezendes, said “It’s been a much more sober press line than anywhere else we’ve been, except for Venice, which may as well be the second seat of Catholicism”.

The scandal led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law and settlements with hundreds of people who were abused as children.

“I think the real story has been forgotten or hasn’t been done yet and that is the victims and their loved ones and family”, he said. It is a pattern survivors of child sex abuse have described repeatedly.

“You feel trapped because he has groomed you”.

Actor Mark Ruffalo attends a premiere for “Spotlight” during the 72nd Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 3, 2015 in Venice, Italy.

“Spotlight”, produced by Open Road Films, ends with a list of 206 cities around the world, in countries including Ireland, Australia and Francis’ native Argentina, where abuse has been uncovered. In its review, Variety compared it to one of the most famous movies about journalists – “All the President’s Men”. “How is it that this bad problem duplicated itself around the world, and what do we do about that?” In one scene, Huff holds a childhood photo.

“We acknowledge the awful crimes committed by clergy against children and the failure of many leaders within the church to deal appropriately with these crimes”, he said. Tom McCarthy’s drama about the Boston Globe special report team that broke the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is a masterful ode to shoe leather journalism. A judge eventually unsealed church documents, including priest personnel files containing extensive details on when the archdiocese received sexual abuse allegations against priests and who in the church hierarchy knew. “We’ll lower our guard, ‘” McCarthy said. It’s all there, how we make mistakes in our reporting and how we double back, but always, and certainly in this case, with the mind, “We have to get this story, and we have to get it out”. We have to push for reform, for change.