4. It's Infused With Boston
Boston is a fascinating city; more than just landmarks, it's driven by its people, a population that give their home a more defined, universal personality than the likes of New York or Chicago. Little wonder then that films gravitate towards it when wanting to tell a story of internalised conflict. Of course, Spotlight had little choice in the matter, what with that whole "true story" thing, but it doesn't just let the backdrop lie - McCarthy embraces the city, its people and its politics, using them to accentuate and deepen its story. Scenes use churches as background - a horrifying, truthful irony the film itself even points out - to highlight the proliferation of the scandal in the highly catholic city and the sense of city pride that runs through both. It's a cliché to say a city is a character in its own right, but it's certainly true of Spotlight.