I’ve seen “Spotlight” a number of times now but I will never forget the first time I watched the film.

I was on a break from school, watching with my parents in our living room. Both my parents had been raised by devout Irish-Catholics who held immense pride for their heritage and faith.

As we turned on the movie, the sun was setting and the orange sky could be seen from the bay window in our living room. The dark outline of our Catholic church, where my family had been parishioners for nearly two decades, took up most of view from the window. The church and my family’s home are next door neighbors.

Throughout this first viewing of the film, hardly a word was spoken by either of my parents, a very rare fete in my house. After the film ended there was not much discussion as people got up from the couch and shuffled upstairs to bed.

The experience was uncomfortable and surreal. I imagine also incredibly hard hitting for my parents who grew up very involved in the church. My parents and their siblings, a combined group of 18, grew up as altar boys, members of the choir, regularly attending Sunday School and knowing every response to every prayer and intercession during mass.

This movie followed a team of Boston reporters in their investigative efforts to uncover the truth behind the allegations and covered up secrets in the Catholic church.

Watching the movie again, after having completed most of Journalism 200, allowed me to look at the movie through a different lens.

Much of our lectures have covered controversial issues where journalist’s ethics and integrity were put to the test, like the Pentagon Papers, Watergate and much more.