Semiotic Analysis of a Spotlight Scene

Background Elements:

Spotlight recounts the true story of the investigative department of the Boston Globe looking into the survivors of child sexual abuse by the Catholic church. The movie communicates power structures that misuse the trust of its audience and how it manages to utilize its power to hide its mistreatment. It also explores the challenges that authorities face that expose the abuse in a manner that properly earns justice for the victims and does not let the Catholic church hide the trust as it did in the past.

 

Scene Plot: 

The scene looks into Mike, the journalist. He finally receives access to a letter confirming that the church authorities were well aware of the abuse of certain priests and did nothing to support its abused supporters. Mike is seen running from the courts and driving through Boston to get back to the office to tell his colleagues. His editor agrees that the letter's content is helpful for their investigation, but it is not enough for publication yet. This causes contention among the group because they feel this is enough to take down the church. Ultimately, the editor shuts down the conversation and insists there is more to research and uncover. Mike is incredibly emotional and unhappy with this decision and slams the door on his way out. 

 

Discourse:

• Passing a Survivor and his Child

  • Syntagmatic Relationship:

  • This is a survivor of abuse whom the journalists later in the film interview for victims' voices. 

    • It illustrates that the church leader's abuse was pervasive, and victims of the misuse of power existed in the neighborhood. 

    • They were not receiving any support; instead, they were suffering in silence and without justice. 

• The Letter is Undeniable Proof 

  • "We do not have a choice." 

    • Syntagmatic Relationship:

      • Mike uses this to justify why they must move immediately to expose the church's wrongdoings. 

      • The audience can empathize with this because of his emotional state, which projects a feeling of having to do the morally correct thing of helping the victims. 

• "It Could Have Been any of Us."

  • Paradigmatic Relationship:

    • This is a sort of climax for the scene due to its emotional heaviness and empathy for the survivors. 

      • The Catholic church had been abusing children for decades and buried the truth. 

    • The film discusses the importance of the Catholic community for many in Boston. The congregation trusts the leaders to protect and care for them. 

      • However, the church has taken advantage of that trust and sexually abused the most vulnerable members of its community. 

      • Since many of the journalists were Catholic, they could have experienced similar treatment. Thus, this is incredibly personal to them. 

 

Diegesis:

• Doing Survivors Justice 

  • Paradigmatic Relationship:

    • The editor illustrates the critical element of journalism. 

      • It is ultra-critical for journalists to report on stories about abuse with a great deal of care. The editor recognizes that jumping the gun with the first piece of evidence may make the case less trusted by the public. 

      • Failing to report on the story properly may result in survivors not earning the justice they deserve, and they may face greater ridicule or silence from the Catholic church and the greater public. 

• Get The System

  • Paradigmatic Relationships 

    • The Catholic church is a powerful entity with many followers devoted to its work and leadership. 

    • The church previously buried the crimes of its leadership and could potentially turn the blame on the victims, which was not the goal of the Boston Globe. 

    • Exposing the system that is the church would result in more excellent protection for children and bring justice to those whom priests sexually abused. 

 

My Opinion on Semiotic Criticism:

1. Semiotic Criticism was valuable for examining how the content and structure of the film, Spotlight, unveils to work of journalists that handle cases where they must protect survivors and do them justice. 

2. Semiotics is incredibly useful because it utilizes how the scene includes what is on and off the screen to understand its connection to larger themes, especially when discussing the topic of child sexual abuse in the church.