It was a stroke of luck that I was able to watch "Spotlight" and "Brooklyn" at a back-to-back screening tonight. Both films are screening at my favorite specialty multiplex in Long Beach, CA starting this week for what I hope would be a long, extended run because both films deserve an audience, both films deserve to be seen on the big screen, and because both films, as many are already predicting, are the top front runners at this year's Oscars race.
I always find it interesting that when I watch two, three or four films in a single day (usually at film festivals), I tend to see a common thread that somewhat connects all the films together: It could be a character's quirk, it could be a location, a conflict, anything! And it makes it more fun analyzing, deconstructing the movies after.
"Spotlight" and "Brooklyn" are films that obviously differ in subject matter and theme but you will be surprised how aesthetically similar the films look and how it depicts contrasting images of characters integral to their respective plots.
"Spotlight" recounts the year-long investigation by a group of intrepid Boston Globe reporters of the Boston Archdiocese' decades-long cover-up of various allegations of child molestation against catholic priests. It's a provocative, riveting and thrilling piece of cinema that gives us an inside look on how the best journalistic works, the kind that wins the Pulitzer Prize, do not rely on sensational headlines and malicious slant. They seek the truth and they tell the story as is. In this case, the story happens to be the biggest modern scandal to ever rock the catholic church -- one that drew massive condemnation from around the world, inspired other abuse victims to come out, and eventually forced the church to publicly acknowledge the crime and ask for forgiveness from the victims and the faithful.
The film, directed by Thomas McCarthy, who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer, shares strong thematic similarities with the Berlin-winning film "El Club", the official submission of Chile to the Oscars this year. Both movies examine the apparent church conspiracy to protect the guilty priests by evading legal prosecution and giving them instead "special housing" and regular "counseling" but "El Club", which was more pointed in its criticism by adding malice to its already provocative subject matter, ended up more offensive than truly enlightening. In contrast, "Spotlight" took the high road and presented a thoughtful, factual and respectful film aimed at educating and informing the public of the vastness of the crime without casting judgement on the church.
"Spotlight" boasts of a strong ensemble cast featuring extraordinary performances from stars Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber and Billy Crudup. But the special spotlight in the movie belongs to Mark Ruffalo, who shines the most in this film. His powerful performance brings back memories of his equally powerful turn in "You Can Count on Me." He should win the Oscar for best supporting actor come February or I will be terribly disappointed. The cast will definitely be rewarded with an best cast award from the SAG.
"Brooklyn", written by Nick Hornby and directed by John Crowley based on Colm Tóibín's novel of the same name, is an intimate and triumphant story of a young woman who emigrates from Ireland and settles in New York during the early 1950s. It tells the story of Ellis Lacey, who braves a new world away from the comforts of her home, away from her thoughtful sister and her loving mother, away from her town that she's grown disillusioned with.
In New York, she battles homesickness by going to the weekly dances, going to night school and serving food to the needy. She eventually meets a young Italian man who falls in love with her and she with him and she slowly finds happiness. A tragic news from back home will crush her newfound joy and she will be forced to choose between her new home and her old home. "Brooklyn" is a profoundly moving love story, a beautiful film with exquisite performances from leads Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen with strong supports from Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Dohmnall Gleeson.
As I previously stated, "Brooklyn" and "Spotlight" share some similarities to this writer's sheer amazement. Both films are bathed in a soft white light bringing a certain hazy glow to the screen as if the stories are being told from memories of a distant past that's slowly coming back to life motivating us to face and right our past mistakes or inspiring us to dream again and fall in love once more.
Another similarity I found interesting is the contrasting depiction of priests in both films. In "Brooklyn", a good priest is instrumental in helping the lead character move to New York and have a new and better life while in "Spotlight", the priests do evil things to children. Both films depict catholic faith in its many forms and have, not surprisingly, strong Irish presence. Lastly, the best similarity I can think of is that both are excellent films.
Ratings: "Spotlight" - 5 Stars | "Brooklyn" - 5 Stars
XXX
Raymond Lo
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