Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael) Keaton heads a small team of reporters at the Boston Globe, known as Spotlight. Robby, Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James) handle special investigation stories. The Globe hires Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) as a new editor. When Marty reads a story about John Geoghan, a priest accused of molesting children in his parish, he puts the Spotlight team to work on the story.

As the Spotlight team digs into the story, they find that it is a much bigger story than they had anticipated. Geoghan’s case isn’t an isolated incident. The number  of victims and priests involved are astounding. It hasn’t been discovered before now because there has been a cover up of the whole issue.

Spotlight is inspired by the true story of how the Boston Globe‘s Spotlight team uncovered the allegations of abuse in the Catholic church.

The entire cast of the film is amazing, particularly those on the Spotlight team. That is fitting, since they are the focus of the movie. Mark Ruffalo, in particular, does an incredible job. He completely changes his mannerisms and his way of speaking to fully immerse himself in the character. I don’t know if he fashioned himself off the actual person, but it is a level of acting you don’t see too often. I don’t want to discount the rest of the talented actors in the film, but it is easy to see why Ruffalo was nominated for an Oscar.

As with all “true stories,” I’m sure there were plenty of creative liberties taken in the making of the movie. However, the way the story is told feels authentic. You don’t get the impression that aspects of the story were exaggerated to add excitement. Every detail in the film feels authentic, too. Set in 2001, it feels very true to its time period. Surprisingly, when September 11th occurs, it doesn’t become the focal point of the movie. Not that it is glossed over, though. It is addressed appropriately in context, while staying true to the story being told.

Spotlight is definitely worth seeing, whether you’re looking to get a behind the scenes look at the story or just watch some great performances. You won’t want to miss this one, even if  you wait for it to get to your RedBox.