Spotlight

Inarguably one of the finest films on investigative journalism, Spotlight is an excellent critique of what blind deference to authority or faith can do to you. The problem affects India and America equally.

The film may tend to the boring at times but if you are someone who pays close attention to the nuances then you are sure to be both gratified and fulfilled. This film in fact highlights how even within the humdrum existence of routine we can achieve so very much.

The real life investigation conducted by the team of Spotlight journalists won them a Pulitzer Prize. In case you do watch this movie - and it is highly recommended that you do - it'll be easy to see why they won that honour. Bold, audacious and shocking, a consummate piece of work.

Spotlight is not for everyone. It's a serious film that deals with a serious issue, and it does justice to it. For the performances alone, the movie is worth a watch.

End of the day, this film's real victory lies in the fact that it chronicles a pertinent part of modern history and it does so with the right amount of authenticity and deftness. There's no jingoism or sense of sensation. It takes real human emotions and crafts them into the journalism profession. The quality of cinema is beyond measure. This is a must watch.

Tom McCarthy's Spotlight is that rare film that is first and foremost about journalism.

Spotlight doesn't set up false binaries between print and new media, nor does it treat its reporters as superheroes with notebooks. McCarthy's no-frills approach and classic shot and reverse-shot storytelling often nudges Spotlight into the television movie zone, but there is no mistaking what is at work here: the good fight to tell a story the way it needs to be told.

Spotlight puts the spotlight on the trauma without  creating hype or drama. It's an achievement that doesn't call for a standing ovation. It gets it without trying.

Spotlight is an important film, especially at times of cynicism around the profession of journalism. It is a non-showy paean to print reportage as much as it is a deeply affecting human drama.