Philomena 2013
by Paulette Reynolds
March 11, 2015
Directed by Stephen Frears
Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
Based on The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith
Starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan
Stephen Frears' Philomena is at first glance just simple film, so simple that it slipped by me when it first came out in the fall of 2013. Thanks to cable television, this cinematic jewel is now on my list of favorite films to watch and recommend. This true story is about an extraordinary woman, who is determined to locate her son, taken from her and sold to an American family by an Catholic Abbey in the early 1950s.
Philomena (Judi Dench) and her daughter enlist the aid of Martin Sixsmith (Steven Coogan), a British journalist who is between jobs and beyond caring about the world around him. Martin spots a human-interest story after Philomena reveals that she worked at the the Sean Ross Convent for 'wayward' (read: unwed and pregnant) girls for four years as a 'punishment' for her situation. And what was more heartbreaking, the young women were forced to give up their children, many of whom were adopted by wealthy American families for a tidy sum. Such was the fate of Philomena Lee's young son, Anthony, who was adopted without her permission.
As they traverse Great Britain, Philomena shares her memories of loss, thankful along the way for any scrap of information that will bring her closer to discovering Anthony's fate. She imagines he's living a wonderful life and is hopeful that she might be reunited with him. Alternately amused and irritated by Philomena's old-fashioned beliefs, Martin's cynicism eventually gives way to a deep respect for her courage and compassion.
Philomena discovers that her son, who was renamed Michael, died of AIDS in 1995. He, too, was lied to by the Sean Ross nuns on three separate visits to the Abbey, in his own search for his birth mother. After his death he requested to be buried at the Abbey in Roscrea, Ireland, in the hopes his birth mother might find him. Now found, she resolves to find out about his life - and about those who loved him - so as to better understand and connect with his memory. At the same time, Martin teeters between anger at the nun's coverup and fears he might be exploiting Philomena.
Judi Dench's gives a textured performance of a woman who refuses to give up her search for the truth while continuing to see the good in others. The strength of Philomena is this remarkable woman herself, who shares her memories with everyone they meet - including the nuns who lie about their tarnished past, in an attempt to dissuade Philomena from pursuing the truth. She remembers without rancour, from a deep well of love that keeps her loving nature intact. And her calm acceptance juxtaposes the bitterness of Sister Hildergarde, a spiteful nun, whose own memories are colored by what she lost due to her own life choices.
Philomena's absolute faith in humanity is a perfect counterpoint to Martin's baggage of stifled anger, whose impatience with a flawed human race masks his insecurity about where he truly belongs in the world. Steve Coogan plays to perfection the quintessential millennial, who rails against the conventional goodness of Philomena’s worldview.
While it's true that the screenplay makes some changes in the final denouement scene at the Abbey with Sister Hildergarde, the Coogan/Pope collaboration stays true to the unsavory practices during that repressive era. However, the film errs when it suggests that American actress Jane Russell adopted one of the Sean Ross children, which later proved to be incorrect. What was the point of that scene? It was already clear that wealthy Americans adopted the children. Perhaps Coogan/Pope were drawing a line between Sean Ross and the current crop of celebrity overseas adoptions.
Regardless, Philomena proves that the complexities of life often come in simple wrappings.
Alex von Tunzelmann. November 11, 2013.
“Philomena: nun too sloppy when it comes to the facts”
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/11/philomena-historical-accuracy-steve-coogan
March 10, 2015.
by Paulette Reynolds
March 11, 2015
Directed by Stephen Frears
Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
Based on The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith
Starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan
Stephen Frears' Philomena is at first glance just simple film, so simple that it slipped by me when it first came out in the fall of 2013. Thanks to cable television, this cinematic jewel is now on my list of favorite films to watch and recommend. This true story is about an extraordinary woman, who is determined to locate her son, taken from her and sold to an American family by an Catholic Abbey in the early 1950s.
Philomena (Judi Dench) and her daughter enlist the aid of Martin Sixsmith (Steven Coogan), a British journalist who is between jobs and beyond caring about the world around him. Martin spots a human-interest story after Philomena reveals that she worked at the the Sean Ross Convent for 'wayward' (read: unwed and pregnant) girls for four years as a 'punishment' for her situation. And what was more heartbreaking, the young women were forced to give up their children, many of whom were adopted by wealthy American families for a tidy sum. Such was the fate of Philomena Lee's young son, Anthony, who was adopted without her permission.
As they traverse Great Britain, Philomena shares her memories of loss, thankful along the way for any scrap of information that will bring her closer to discovering Anthony's fate. She imagines he's living a wonderful life and is hopeful that she might be reunited with him. Alternately amused and irritated by Philomena's old-fashioned beliefs, Martin's cynicism eventually gives way to a deep respect for her courage and compassion.
Philomena discovers that her son, who was renamed Michael, died of AIDS in 1995. He, too, was lied to by the Sean Ross nuns on three separate visits to the Abbey, in his own search for his birth mother. After his death he requested to be buried at the Abbey in Roscrea, Ireland, in the hopes his birth mother might find him. Now found, she resolves to find out about his life - and about those who loved him - so as to better understand and connect with his memory. At the same time, Martin teeters between anger at the nun's coverup and fears he might be exploiting Philomena.
Judi Dench's gives a textured performance of a woman who refuses to give up her search for the truth while continuing to see the good in others. The strength of Philomena is this remarkable woman herself, who shares her memories with everyone they meet - including the nuns who lie about their tarnished past, in an attempt to dissuade Philomena from pursuing the truth. She remembers without rancour, from a deep well of love that keeps her loving nature intact. And her calm acceptance juxtaposes the bitterness of Sister Hildergarde, a spiteful nun, whose own memories are colored by what she lost due to her own life choices.
Philomena's absolute faith in humanity is a perfect counterpoint to Martin's baggage of stifled anger, whose impatience with a flawed human race masks his insecurity about where he truly belongs in the world. Steve Coogan plays to perfection the quintessential millennial, who rails against the conventional goodness of Philomena’s worldview.
While it's true that the screenplay makes some changes in the final denouement scene at the Abbey with Sister Hildergarde, the Coogan/Pope collaboration stays true to the unsavory practices during that repressive era. However, the film errs when it suggests that American actress Jane Russell adopted one of the Sean Ross children, which later proved to be incorrect. What was the point of that scene? It was already clear that wealthy Americans adopted the children. Perhaps Coogan/Pope were drawing a line between Sean Ross and the current crop of celebrity overseas adoptions.
Regardless, Philomena proves that the complexities of life often come in simple wrappings.
Alex von Tunzelmann. November 11, 2013.
“Philomena: nun too sloppy when it comes to the facts”
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/11/philomena-historical-accuracy-steve-coogan
March 10, 2015.
COPYRIGHT 2012/2015. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
