BOSTON has a large Catholic population. “Spotlight” tells how “The Boston Globe” newspaper investigated the Catholic church’s concealment of its failure to deal effectively with priests who abused children. Priests, laity and lawyers did not want the story told. Even some parishioners believed it should not be. A small team of reporters toiled hard to overcome powerful pressures to drop it.

New editor-in-chief Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) arrives to give a fresh focus to Spotlight, the “Globe’s” small unit that under Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) investigates and publishes confronting stories about concealed public malfeasances.

It’s a dramatically powerful thriller, uncluttered by chases, fights, romantic diversions, intrusions into team-members’ private lives. Its tensions build as the team encounters myriad obstacles. Its close shaves aren’t the contrivances of writers’ overheated imaginations. Its heroes and villains are not exaggeration. Writer/director Tom McCarthy has staged many of his film’s events’ in their actual exterior locations. 

Spotlight journalists Mike (Mark Rufalo) and Sacha (Rachel McAdams) are footsoldiers pounding pavements, ringing doorbells, scanning court records and press cuttings, confronting lawyers unwilling or scared to cooperate, treading warily among victims and abusers. The process makes for absorbing cinema.

Two films currently screening locally are about journalists investigating real-life public issues. In “Truth”,  journalists ultimately are losers.  In “Spotlight”, they are winners on a grand scale. Both films have sound cinematic values, both deserve to be seen. Which is the better?  See both.

At Palace Electric from Boxing Day