New film "Spotlight" focuses on Boston Globe reporting of abuse by priests

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A new movie looks at a scandal that rocked the Catholic church, capturing the drama of how the story went from church secret to public knowledge.

"Spotlight" takes place more than a dozen years ago, when newspaper reporters uncovered widespread abuse by Catholic priests in Boston.

The investigation forced the resignation of Boston's cardinal, and led to reforms within the church.

The movie takes its title from a section of the Boston Globe.

The team broke the story of child abuse by hundreds of Catholic priests.

"The ultimate injustice is to have the very institution that is supposed to be the moral compass of how we're supposed to conduct our lives is the very people who are part of the biggest and ugliest thing you could possibly do," said Mark Ruffalo, who plays one of the real journalists who broke this story, Boston Globe reporter Mike Rezendes.

"The movie is remarkable in that it really portrays a lot of the drudgery of investigative reporting and somehow makes it exciting," said Rezendes.

The premiere of the movie in the city brought the actors together with the reporters and editors they play in "Spotlight".

"I was sitting in his office thinking he's probably looking at me and going 'why is Ray Donovan playing me?'", said actor Liev Schrieber, alongside the man he portrays, former Boston Globe editor Marty Baron.

Rachel McAdams plays the lone female member of the group, Sacha Pfeiffer.

"It was amazing to watch them do their homework," said Pfeiffer. "And the results, how close,"? we asked.

"I think pretty close. I've had friends and family members tell me that she is doing mannerisms that I didn't even know I had, so that sounds pretty accurate to me," she said.

The movie is most poignant for those who survived abuse.

"I cried, and I don't think it was in sadness. I think it was a sense of relief and a sense of triumph in accomplishment," said abuse victim Phil Saviano.

The Archbishop of Boston released a statement just last week calling the events depicted in "Spotlight" a "very painful time" in church history, adding, "The Archdiocese of Boston is fully and completely committed to zero tolerance regarding the abuse of minors".

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley plans to see this movie and has no intention of discouraging Catholics from going to see it, this according to his spokesman.