It was the quiet film that spoke its truth loud and clear. On Oscars Night in 2016, The Revenant was riding the crest of a wave: Leonardo di Caprio had won his first and much-longed-for Best Actor trophy and, for the second year in a row, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu had scooped Best Director (he also won in 2015 for Birdman). Best Picture seemed to be a done deal — until Morgan Freeman read out the name of the winner. Spotlight, which has just been added to Prime Video.
The dignified, almost self-effacing, movie about the Boston Globe’s investigation into child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church had floated to the top and caused a big surprise. Until then, its screenplay — which also won an Oscar — and its ensemble cast had received more attention than the film as a whole.
