Each of us would like to believe that we would rise to the occasion. We would like to believe that if the suffering of the other were horrific enough, we would dedicate ourselves to the cause of love, regardless of the cost to ourselves. That’s nearly exactly the opposite of how most of us actually work. We go to staggering lengths to look the other way. We even help each other to do so, subtly but constantly. There is no human crime greater than the subject of Spotlight. It’s relevant that priests are the perpetrators; the violation of trust could barely be pushed any further. But that’s not the core of the matter. Spotlight contains many reminders—about the ubiquity of child sexual abuse, the power of inane ideas (celibacy, for one) to poison institutions, the essential role of media— but none is more important than this: every crime is a social crime. 10
Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy, starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachael Adams, Open Road Films, 2015. Reviewed July 9, 2025.