It’s been 10 years since Spotlight dropped, the movie that basically broke the internet (in the pre-social media way) by exposing the Catholic Church’s massive cover-up of child sexual abuse. While the film was a total W at the 2016 Academy Awards, director Tom McCarthy says the reality inside the church is a major L.
Speaking at the New York Film Festival this past Saturday, McCarthy kept it 100 about the lack of institutional progress. "It’s not enough until every child is safe, as far as I’m concerned," he said. "And that’s a zero sum game. So, I would like to see more change."
Moving from faith to climate
McCarthy is now pivoting to a new project, A Statement, which stars Paul Rudd and hits on a similarly frustrating lack of consensus. Based on a real 1980 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, the film follows experts trying to get Congress to listen to the climate crisis. Spoiler: they never reached a consensus, and honestly, the vibes are still off today.
With 21 states currently suing the Trump administration over the repeal of greenhouse gas regulations, it’s giving major deja vu to the political gridlock seen in the film. Rudd, who stars in the flick, noted that the scientists in the 1980 meeting were bipartisan and actually agreed on the science, but that’s clearly not the case in modern politics.
Why it matters
McCarthy’s work serves as a reminder that even when movies shed light on massive systemic failures, real-world change is slow. Whether it’s child safety in the church or the literal planet’s survival, McCarthy thinks our job as viewers is to keep the conversation going—even if the politicians are lowkey acting like the plot thickens in the wrong direction.
