I have not seen it - I didn't even know it existed (I don't watch much TV - a little HGTV now and then and that is it), but I was intrigued and watched the trailer. I think I will find it to watch - at least someone finally had the guts and interest to break the silence and tell the story, and it is obviously brining the issue more to the forefront which is what needs to happen for any change to be made. I will be interested to see if anyone has seen it and what they thought.

I completely get you, USAdad. Since my daughter's disclosure three years ago of her sexual abuse as a child, and all the psychological and health issues, educational setbacks, and financial hardships it has led to in her life and ours, it has become very difficult for me to watch movies or read books. Movies and books that are NOT made for children generally feature the following themes or plot developments: sexual violence, drug abuse, and Very Bad People. I imagine myself sitting through "Spotlight" with my fists clenched, as I envision pounding a mallet into the head of my daughter's (unpunished) abuser, even as others next to me crunch contentedly on popcorn and slurp on their sodas, thinking, "Wow, how awful that this happens...but not to anyone I know."

I am very glad that this subject is gaining more attention in the media overall, and I'm also glad that more rape survivors are finding their voices and coming forward with stories of long-held pain and, ultimately, of survival. I hope this means more people will be able to spot symptoms and report suspicions, But I'm skeptical about the lasting effects of media events to lead to change. Many years ago, before my daughter had told me a word about her abuse, I saw an especially good movie about this subject, called "Doubt," a fictionalized story of a priest abusing children. It was a nearly perfect movie, and it had a big effect on me...for maybe a week I didn't think, at that point, that I knew anyone who had been sexually abused as a child -- even though, unknown to me, I had a survivor living under my own roof -- and I felt no need to do anything about the issue. I think I also assumed that the Catholic church, once exposed, would be forced to make changes. In fact, that has happened only very, very slowly. It will take more than a few good movies to keep this issue top of mind with the public, and even then the denial that this happens to people we know may be enough to keep it from getting the attention it truly needs.

I hope I'm being unnecessarily pessimistic.

On the other hand, something like this might make people realize that child sex abusers could live in their very own communities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KldFGgUTqKA

I've seen the movie and it didn't cause any huge emotions to well up. I guess I'm just already very aware of the Catholic church scandal and how it has played out.

The movie is more about the reporters investigating the abuse and cover up. There really aren't any emotional scenes with victims or anything like that...

if that helps.

Fair enough mamablue...thanks! I will likely watch the movie eventually, so it's really nice to know that it might not be as bad as I expected as far as putting the crimes in my face.

Thank you, mamablue. While I"m not at all motivated to see it it's good to know that it's not further exploitative of the children involved.