Inside the Cinema Palace on Venice's Lido Island, "Spotlight" had already begun screening. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the big screen, eager to see what this highly anticipated film would reveal.
The story began in 2001 with the arrival of a new editor-in-chief, Marty Baron, at the *Boston Globe*. Shortly after taking his position, Marty suggested that the "Spotlight" team reopen an investigation into a previously reported case of a priest sexually abusing children, believing that the case was far from over.
So, the four journalists of the "Spotlight" team began to dust off the case and dig deeper into the truth behind it.
The results were astounding. The number of priests involved grew from a few to dozens, uncovering evidence, hidden truths known but unspoken by the community, and much more...
In the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI continued to stand by the window, looking down at the people in the small square below with an almost omniscient gaze. Facing Hollywood, a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the pervasive modern media and viral internet, even the Catholic Church and the Pope himself felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
This society was no longer one where the Catholic Church held dominance.
"Your Holiness…"
The middle-aged priest behind him suddenly spoke, "If Murphy Stanton's film has a widespread impact, removing Archbishop Marquez Costello alone may not satisfy everyone in the Church."
Pope Benedict XVI stood there, silent, seemingly lost in thought.
"Some of the issues reported by the American media have already spread worldwide."
In today's world, it's very difficult to block news, especially in the West. The middle-aged priest continued, "The impact is very negative. If this film succeeds, I'm afraid…"
"I understand," Pope Benedict XVI sighed.
The middle-aged priest went on, "Your Holiness, a single archbishop from Southern California may not be enough to quell the various emotions among the faithful and within the Church."
Pope Benedict XVI said nothing, knowing that the priest's words were true. He merely waved for the priest to leave. After hearing the door close, he turned around and stared at the Pope's office, lost in thought once more.
On Lido Island, inside the Venice Cinema Palace, the screening of "Spotlight" was nearing its end.
The screening hall had remained silent throughout the two-hour film. There were no applause, no laughter, no discussions—just a stunned audience watching the film.
This included many of the jury members of this year's Venice Film Festival.
They had known for some time that the Catholic Church had been facing a series of scandals in America since last winter, scandals that had yet to die down. One after another, scandals were exposed by the American media, seemingly without end. However, they had only viewed it as a spectacle.
But watching this film left them speechless, unsure of what to say, and feeling somewhat relieved.
Many of the jury members had children and were themselves Catholic…
The jury president, Frenchman Alexandre Desplat, was one such person.
"Maybe it's time to warn the kids," he muttered to himself. "They can go to church, but they must never be alone with those priests!"
Compared to textual reports, the impact of the film's visuals was overwhelming for Alexandre Desplat.
As the president of this year's Venice Film Festival jury, Alexandre Desplat quickly set aside thoughts of Catholicism and children, focusing entirely on the film itself.
There was no doubt that Murphy Stanton had delivered a masterpiece. Even as someone who didn't particularly like Hollywood, Alexandre Desplat had to admit this.
"Spotlight" gave him the impression of a classic film. This feeling partly came from Murphy Stanton's calm narrative style and partly from the lack of dramatic pacing. But mostly, it came from the story's deep nostalgia for traditional print media.
This sentiment was evident in the depiction of the newsroom's daily operations. Throughout the investigation, the "Spotlight" team spent most of their time interviewing people, gathering information, and sifting through news. The film meticulously showcased this repetitive and monotonous process, with piles of clipped newspaper articles, mountains of documents, and countless notes and phone calls, making one question how close they were to the core of the case.
One of the most representative scenes was when the team discovered a directory of priests. From this, they found that priests with a history of sexual abuse were transferred to new parishes under various pretexts. Sorting through these records to identify abusive priests was like finding a needle in a haystack.
From this perspective, Alexandre Desplat saw how Murphy Stanton struck a delicate balance between the shocking story and the simple, straightforward style aiming to showcase professional integrity. It was an exceptional achievement.
Even though he knew the story was based on real events and knew that all the evil would eventually be exposed, he was still shocked when the number of involved priests grew from a few individual cases to thirteen according to the victims' group, to ninety as estimated by researchers, and finally to eighty-seven confirmed by the "Spotlight" team.
This film, devoid of the Hollywood formula, without action scenes, romance, or large set pieces, was bound to be an excellent work and possibly a classic.
Whether it was Murphy Stanton or the Stanton party members transitioning from comedy and commercial films, they consistently demonstrated that the best way to achieve their ideals was through steadfast persistence.
The big screen suddenly went black, and the credits rolled. Alexandre Desplat was the first to stand up, clapping with all his might, not caring if his hands hurt.
Immediately, all the jury members on either side of Alexandre Desplat stood up and joined in the applause.
Everyone else in the hall followed, including the hundreds of journalists and ordinary audience members in the back.
Alexandre Desplat wasn't surprised by the thunderous applause behind him. It was predictable that journalists would praise a film that highlighted the power of the media.
As for the ordinary film fans...
For "Spotlight," based on real events and addressing the scandal of priests sexually abusing children, indignant audiences had already seen the full story unfold through extensive media coverage. When they bought tickets and walked into the cinema, they had likely already aligned themselves with the film's protagonists.
Beside Alexandre Desplat, renowned Chinese-American director Joan Chen clapped while marveling internally. Murphy Stanton's "Spotlight" was an excellent film textbook.
With her years of directorial experience, she recognized that this film was ideal for learning the most fundamental and universal cinematic techniques. Murphy Stanton chose to narrate through rich scenes and emphasized dialogue.
The entire film was built on a meticulously designed, simple script. The large volume of dialogue, frequent scene changes, and strong character actions kept the film's pace smooth, guiding the audience through the investigation with the *Boston Globe* reporters without any jarring scenes or excessive emphasis, letting the emotional flow of the story itself release the tension.
Thus, in the movie, all characters constantly talked—in offices, homes, doorsteps, hallways, kitchens, baseball fields, golf courses, streets, cafes, and parties. From a certain angle, this was the norm for media workers.
Having lived and worked in the U.S. for a long time, Joan Chen knew Murphy Stanton wasn't an academic director, yet his method this time was very academic. His filming technique was traditional, making every conversation scene tight, precise, and straightforward, with no overly dramatic conflicts, over-the-top performances, or exaggerated shots.
This seemingly mundane approach completed a beautifully subtle yet intense story. Murphy Stanton's techniques were unoriginal, but that made them solid, making the film outstanding, with clear conflicts, tight pacing, and vivid characters.
Joan Chen understood that making such a film, which concealed the director's personal style deeply, was more challenging than one with a pronounced style.
How to tell a captivating story honestly? This required Murphy Stanton to have immense confidence and control.
Reflecting on the film's story, she couldn't imagine it being done any other way.
Murphy Stanton's solid, academic approach was the most fitting for "Spotlight."
The applause continued for several minutes, showing no sign of stopping. The film might be somber, but this was the Venice Film Festival, not the North American summer box office.
Murphy and the main cast of the film stepped onto the stage in front of the screen, bowing to the audience.
There was still an important press conference to come. The impact of "Spotlight" had just begun!
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