"Focus" is a great film. It’s very long and dense, and although it doesn’t have the commercial elements that audiences love to see, such as murder, arson, and fight, there is a force in the film that pushes me to finish it with extraordinary patience and attention. The last time the same thing happened was "Zodiac Killer". If you like this kind of investigative (very strong documentary atmosphere) film, don't miss it.
The film tells the story of a Boston Globe panel called "Focus" that digs deep into cases of Catholic priests sexually abusing young children. This case has been hidden for many years, and even the Globe was one of the indifferent news media back then, and the editor who once received letters from victims was the editor-in-chief of Focus at this time. In the long history of sexual assault, lawyers, bishops and even the Pope have turned a blind eye to the matter, and even the courts have sealed relevant materials, and no one cares about it. SNAP, a mutual aid group organized by 11 victims, also lost a member because they saw no hope. They didn't even believe Spotlight could report the incident, thinking they were just picking up on the incident for decades. One of the media that grabs the attention of readers. Under the pressure of various aspects, running and running into the wall, and the deadline for the manuscript is approaching step by step (otherwise, the Herald will seize the opportunity), the "Focus" four-person team investigates the pastor day and night, visits the victims, one step at a time. Bu pried open the tightly closed mouths of the people involved, and finally formed a complete clue of the whole incident and made it public. However, the publication was only the beginning, followed by overwhelming calls. The victims who read this report in Boston, the United States and even the whole world, like prisoners trapped in a dark room for a long time, finally saw the light and told Focus on their experiences...
Don't be afraid of my spoilers, because the charm of this film is not the story itself, but the meaning behind it, such as the journalists in the film, who are too busy to take care of their families in order to expose the scandal, running after get off work, running and running I ran to the office unconsciously. I really appreciate this state of devoting myself to the cause I love, and I hope I can do it too, but I can't, because I'm already a profit-driven animal. I believe many people do too. Another example is those priests and bishops, who rely on the protection of the religious system to say some nice things to pretend to be saints when disasters come (such as 911), but they do such dirty things in private, and are asked if they have blasphemed children. , One of the pastors confessed, and did not feel that he was rape, but was doing something meaningful. This reminds me of the principals and teachers in our country who molest students. They may not have a set of self-justifying theories like the pastors in the film, but they are actually the same as pastors. It's just that there are media such as "Focus" in the United States that are chasing the truth, and our media can only publish the press release issued by the yamen, otherwise the license will be revoked, and the relevant person will be imprisoned. To put it bluntly, our entire society is the Catholic Church in the film.
The film has a strong cast, including Michael Keaton the Birdman, Mark Rafalo the Hulk, Wolverine's brother Saber-toothed Liev Schreiber, and Erin Adler in Robert Downey's Sherlock Holmes— —Rachel McAdams. These glittering stars are usually very exaggerated in their modeling and acting skills in commercial films. In this film, they will all fade away and participate in the story with solid acting skills. I think this is why they are not only "stars" ", and still an "actor"! Don't underestimate these two words, they are very different.
View more about Spotlight reviews
