Spotlight - Dir. Tom McCarthy
Its status as an ever present competitor in this year's awards season has perhaps caused the momentum behind Spotlight to dwindle as the race reaches its end, which means it will likely lose to the much showier (and gruntier/more grunty/?) The Revenant . That's a shame, not only because Spotlight is one of the year's very best, but because it's a magnificent testimonial to the shrinking practice of long term journalism and a fascinating exploration of how the deep rooted influence of an institution such as the Catholic Church can directly and indirectly affect the people of Boston.