Philomena, 2013.
Directed by Stephen Frears.
Starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Michelle Fairley, Mare Winningham, Charlie Murphy and Sophie Kennedy Clark.
SYNOPSIS:
A beleaguered journalist agrees to tell the story of Philomena Lee, an elderly woman who was separated from her son many years ago. Their journey takes them to America and back and both of them struggle with the discoveries they make along the way.
Philomena is based on a true story and as such it has an extra layer of emotional resonance. The story sounds simple enough; it’s about a mother searching for her lost child, but it deals with deeper themes of faith and morality with an ending that will leave you pondering your own conduct.
Steve Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, an unemployed journalist who is cynical, bitter and looking for a new lease of life. Judi Dench is Philomena Lee, a devout woman who has finally revealed a secret she has been struggling with for the past fifty years. The two of them approach things in entirely different ways and the prickly camaraderie is a highlight of the film, yet neither of them are portrayed as being right or wrong and the film deals with the two outlooks even-handedly. I happened to agree with Sixsmith about certain things but the film would be equally enjoyable for someone who agrees with Philomena.
Aside from the philosophical discussions we are also given an intriguing mystery with a big dose of heart-wrenching developments and infuriating bureaucracy. Through flashbacks we’re given the history of Philomena and how she came to have her son taken from her, and the actress who plays the young Philomena (Sophie Kennedy Clark) does a superb job of showing the fear and vulnerability that she must have felt.
As the film progresses we’re shown that Philomena still harbours guilt over the perceived sin she committed, and lot of the tension between her and Sixsmith stems from his disgust at the Catholic Church, and the real joy of the film is the relationship between the two leads. Dench is utterly superb as the doting, sometimes dotty old lady who tries to live up to Christian ideals but can never escape her sin and there’s always a complex conflict of emotion simmering under the sweet and kind exterior. She has a few sharp words for Sixsmith about his attitude, and despite the film’s emotional strength it will have you laughing as well, mainly due to Dench’s simple and sensible outlook.
There are a few minor nitpicks with the film, the main one is that they seem to hesitate asking certain people questions in order to ensure that when they ask other people later it has maximum dramatic impact. I’m not sure if that’s the way it happened in actuality or whether it’s a conceit for the film, but it’s just a little something I noticed. The ending may also leave a lot of people cold and unfulfilled, and I have to admit when I first saw it I didn’t feel the levels of catharsis I expected, but it’s an ending that is a slow-burner and will stay with you, leaving you with the thought that perhaps forgiveness is more powerful than revenge.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert D. Spake – Find me on Facebook and Amazon.
Originally published November 2, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
