The movie begins with a dispute mediation in a police station late at night. The notorious priest Gegan once committed a long-term sexual assault on seven boys in a family, and the remaining one survived because he was a girl. In the mid-1990s, Gegan's accumulated crimes could no longer be covered up, and there were 134 lawsuits against him for sexual assault. A small column in the Boston Globe reported on 84 outstanding lawsuits against Gegan. This report attracted the attention of the newly appointed editor-in-chief, Marty Byron, who decided to let the Focus Group conduct a report on the facts behind this report. Dig deep.
The director Thomas McCarthy did not show off in the film to lay out suspense or create gimmicks, nor did he use any of the scars and privacy of the victims in this scandal to attract attention. On the contrary, he has a confident, low-key and simple narrative technique. The seamless, superb editing in one go has won respect and unique energy for this movie; the clear backbone close to the documentary literature carries the entire story, and controls the balance between the performances of multiple characters. Multiple factors are intertwined and subtle. Contact, lead the audience step by step, tirelessly towards the end. The rhythm is tight and tight, and the narrative is calm and complete. What’s commendable is that even though the film advocates the simplicity and efficiency of storytelling, it still successfully puts the detailed description of each character and the emotional capture into every detail and every line, showing the use of film language and Excellent kung fu implied by the lens. The director McCarthy was once one of the screenwriters and directors of "Game of Thrones". The precise and rich lines and behavior design allow us to appreciate the background, personality characteristics and choices of each character in the scene; leading a wonderful and profoundly charming The group play:
If the newly appointed editor-in-chief Matti has set the goal of investigating sexual assault cases for the focus group, then the "focus" group leader Robison has deep contacts in the Boston area, senior position in the news industry, and rich work Experience has ensured the smooth realization of this goal. The film cuts from the dark and obscure scene of Father Gegan’s sexual assault on a boy in the dark to the bright and spacious working room of the Boston Globe’s press office; the closed theocracy envelops such a cold winter night, and the Globe’s The studio is full of laughter. The meaning of contrast is self-evident. The focused frontline reporter Mike was an "inquiry" when he appeared. He asked Robison who had attended the farewell party one after another about the news of the newspaper. He had an inquisitive way of doing things and a keen sense of smell. Editor-in-Chief Marty said concisely. His "Jewish origin" and "non-married" lifestyle have shaped his image of being a maverick and inadequate in the traditional upper-class social circle of Boston, and has also kept him undisturbed and continued to advance. The investigation of sexual assault cases is possible.
Not long after the film started, the characteristics, specialties, personalities and interpersonal interactions of each character have been sketched out. The high-energy generalization and strong expressive ability of this film in the story are impressive. The film did not deliberately use positive techniques to set off the image of news people, but their own words and deeds gradually confirmed themselves.
The film narrative line is the restoration of the news investigation line: set goals-dig out the details-verify the source of the news. At first, the "Focus" report team thought that this was just a case and a small task, but they soon discovered that the incident had expanded to 249 godfathers in the diocese of Boston alone. Over the years, more than 1,000 victims were suspected of sexual assault. Cardinal Raul He and the church have repeatedly paid private compensation to the victims, transferred away from the godfather involved, and concealed these crimes. Not only the clergy, but within the Catholic Church all over the world outside of Boston, such atrocities are frequently staged. It seems that it has become a routine and law to teach children to use theocracy to sexually assault disadvantaged families; and the sexual assaults against boys are not due to sexual reasons, only because these godfathers see boys have a stronger sense of stigma after being sexually assaulted, and tend to be more silent/ Instead of telling the truth. This news has undergone a qualitative change in the structure, extending to the analysis of the psychopathology of sexual abuse, and rising enough to shake the Catholic Church system. It will not only question the divine right, but also those who choose to forget the truth and accompany the perpetrators, those who consider themselves the spokespersons of justice and fairness: police, lawyers, journalists and church leaders.
However, it is worth noting that regardless of the victims, witnesses, informants that the "Focus" investigation team has repeatedly contacted, or the lawyers hired by the church to accept the case, they are repeating the sentence: "I sent your newspaper ten years ago. A list of twenty sexually assaulted godfathers! Why not go back and look through the clippings of your newspaper?"-Former attorney Eric McRich, who used to mediate for the church; "I have appealed many times and told the story to the newspaper. , But almost got his lawyer’s license revoked for this reason"-Victim's attorney Mitchell Gary Bideen; "I have been writing to you all the time! You don't know anything?!"-Sexual assault Phil, the leader of the mutual aid association "SNAP" and one of the victims; "Robison, why do you only remember this now! What have you done in the past few decades?!"-Robison's Football friend, key informant and church lawyer Jim Sullivan.
In fact, before 2002, more than one newspaper in the Boston Globe had intermittent and absent-minded reports on the priest’s sexual assault. This meant that as early as several decades ago, there were victims, conscientious lawyers and informants. Exposing the news and constantly striving to gain media attention, Boston’s closed stubborn Catholic environment and the traditional social circle with dense and complicated interpersonal relationships have allowed people to choose to ignore and forget, and to protect themselves wisely. This makes the church's sexual abuse of children unscrupulous and intensified. In some families, both fathers and sons have been sexually assaulted; some godfathers themselves have been sexually assaulted, and when they grow up, they have sexually assaulted their children, which unfortunately has become a recurring cycle in the temple. Blind obedience and shelter cannot maintain this collective, but can only create more tragedies of aphasia, collective sinking, and collapse of belief; silence cannot maintain faith, but it condones the internal corruption of the faith, allowing the birth of the theocracy/demons and misbehaviour. . The interpretation of this film is like the process of people acknowledging the truth. The facts are unobtrusively presented in front of people at the beginning of the film, but it takes a long time for people to break out of the shackles of thinking and herd habits, and muster the courage to recognize it. Existence and danger. It’s worth intriguing that Sweeney, a female Catholic judge, finally ruled that she unblocked and disclosed some key confidential documents. These documents not only pointed out the sexual assault/conclusive existence of the church, but also pointed out the cardinal’s accomplices. The incident surfaced and confirmed the evidence.
"Focus" has both "Child Abuse Suspicion", "Bad Education", and similar stories of sexual abuse of vulnerable children in "The Melting Pot"; it also has newsmen challenged power in "Presidential Team", "Dialogue Nixon", and "Breaking Inside Story" His courage and documentary journalism temperament. From a scandal to a critique of the system-strong and clear narrative ability, layered advancement, strict and tidy, unsensational, perfect restoration of a news media people's exploration and journey of truth and justice, many people are waiting The conscience and assistance in this matter completely put this "top-down institutional ugliness" on the screen. This film not only exposes the roots of the Catholic scandal, but also the frustration and gloom within the totalitarian system, but also directly refers to human nature. Deep indifference, instinct to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and collective blindness.
In 2002, the "Focus" group published more than 600 reports on the case, and the reports continue to this day; in 2003, Father Gegan was arrested and imprisoned, and was beaten to death by inmates the following year; in 2002, Cardinal Raul Forced to retire from his post in the diocese of Boston and return to the Vatican. On Christmas Eve in 2015, "Focus" was released and received rave reviews and applause from the North American region, the United States, and even local movie theaters in Boston. We admire those who dare to tell the truth, those who dare to light up the light in the dark, and those who dared to pursue the light; those who go upstream, truly seek the well-being of human life, and support the weak. In this movie, we can feel evil in the cloak of religion, so powerful and concealed; but we can also experience the perseverance of goodness. Bit by bit of kindness and sense of justice came together and finally defeated the atrocities. Belief is not actually the worship of a god or a doctrine, but the belief in people and the world; trusting us can overcome our own limitations, be able to transcend selfish desires, and save ourselves and others. To quote Richard Sepp, one of the internal psychopathologists and witnesses of the Catholic Church in the movie: "The church is established by people, and it will eventually pass by time; and my faith will always be kept in mind". (Signed by Dang Afei, original film review, plagiarism or reprinting is strictly prohibited, offenders must be investigated!)
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