20 Secret Movie Sub-Plots You Didn't Notice

Spotlight is a masterpiece of both powerful filmmaking and subtly devastating storytelling, a journalism drama about the Boston Globe's heroic efforts to uncover years of child abuse within the Catholic Church. 

It's not quite as straightforward as it appears, though. Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams may play characters stalwart and true, but look closer at Michael Keaton, and you'll see a subtle nod to the more aggravating aspects of the investigation. 

Keaton plays Walter Robinson, the editor-in-large at the Globe, who finds himself at odds with the horrific nature of the information before him and his desire not to cause too much controversy. 

It's a tough role that Keaton plays beautifully, especially later in the movie when it dawns on him, unspoken, that the reason the abuse went unchecked for so long was because of his actions; he had leads in the past that would have helped him break the news sooner, but he never pursued them. The heartbreak in his eyes tells the whole story.