PHILOMENA Young Philomena Lee goes to the carnival one night, meets a young man, commits an indiscretion with said young man that will produce issue some nine months later. A devout Catholic, Philomena turns to her church for help and a local convent accepts her. However the nuns do not regard Philomena's pregnancy as an indiscretion, they regard it as a sin, and Philomena must do pertinence in the form of slavery to the abbey and her child must be given up for an adoption brokered by the nuns.
These horrific events are vividly portrayed in the movie's prologue. With a single cut the film moves forward 50 years, and the now the retired Philomena, still with a picture of her 3 year old son close at hand, resolves to find out what happened to him.
By fortuitous happenstance she meets Martin a journalist,looking to give his career a jolt with a human interest story that has some sensational aspects. Martin is a smug, well –educated, snob, who had been humiliatingly fired from a prestigious government position (unjustly it seems) and now has to find a job.
Martin clearly condescends to the sweet, provincial,and naïve Philomena looking at her as only another rung of his career ladder, but as the inevitable road trip ensues, Martin grows (as is necessary in any road trip movie)to respect and admire Philomena's determination, honesty, and spiritual purity.
Although Martin is the character that needs to grow, Philomena also progresses from a woman who has been stripped of all dignity, not to mention her child, to a woman, thanks in no small part to Martin, who comes to believe that at least to some extent, she can control events. In short she becomes empowered.
Judy Dench is a DBE that is Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Sounds impressive doesn't it? It is. They don't give that to just anybody, not without a long history of accomplishment and Dame Judy certainly has that. With honors and awards that are literally too numerous to mention you don't need this poor reviewer to tell you what a great actor she is. You just need to go see it, and her craftsmanship and artistry will speak for itself.
Steve Coogan is a man of many talents which includes being the co-writer of this script, for which he has just received an Academy Award Nomination. He has some work to do standing toe to toe with Dench, as well as turning Martin from upper crust intellectual snot into becoming what is essentially Philomena's avenging angel. .
The ultimate tribute to these two actors is that it is their performance that sells this movie because the story, the actual quest for the long lost son, which is certainly compelling subject matter, seems to me a bit forced. Plot points, reversal and denouement all occur exactly on cue. The script seems focused on accomplishing these academic points rather than letting the story unfold organically. It is a case of advancing the form at the expense of the substance.
It is also unnecessarily political, not oppressively so, but it's there, you can't miss it. It all seemed a little film studentish to me.
It's been said many times in many places, it's not the destination it's the journey, and because of Dench and Coogan this is a journey worth taking.
Director Stephen Frears came out of a film movement known as the British New Wave of the late 1950's and early 60's. This new wave used a cinematic social realism to depict an oppressive and claustrophobic trap the British working class found itself in (according to the filmmakers) and suggested that the only escape was a complete rejection of middle class standards and morality. It was extremely class conscious and exceedingly grim. If you ever want a couple of hours of unbroken depression, check out a little number called "This Sporting Life". (Not directed by Frears)
Frears punctuated or perhaps killed this movement with "My Beautiful Launderette (1985)in which he maintained the social realism, but added a touch of humor,thus entertaining an audience while profoundly commenting on racism,and social attitudes toward homosexuality.
I bring this up now because Frears still uses the element of social realism in Philomena, but instead of the dark pessimism of the early New Wave, he suggests that perhaps the upper middle class Martin and the decidedly working class Philomena can form common cause in exposing the world's ills, and maybe just maybe, do something about them. After all this time Frears appears to have become an optimist.
This movie has received criticism as an Anti-Catholic screed, and I can see where that argument can be made.This movie is pretty hard on the Church, but the record shows that it is the Church's own actions that have brought on this public scrutiny and public rebuke. The body of the Church will endure and survive these current slings and arrows that it has brought onto itself, but the spirit of the Church with its core beliefs of forgiveness and redemption seem to be in good hands with characters like Philomena.
These horrific events are vividly portrayed in the movie's prologue. With a single cut the film moves forward 50 years, and the now the retired Philomena, still with a picture of her 3 year old son close at hand, resolves to find out what happened to him.
By fortuitous happenstance she meets Martin a journalist,looking to give his career a jolt with a human interest story that has some sensational aspects. Martin is a smug, well –educated, snob, who had been humiliatingly fired from a prestigious government position (unjustly it seems) and now has to find a job.
Martin clearly condescends to the sweet, provincial,and naïve Philomena looking at her as only another rung of his career ladder, but as the inevitable road trip ensues, Martin grows (as is necessary in any road trip movie)to respect and admire Philomena's determination, honesty, and spiritual purity.
Although Martin is the character that needs to grow, Philomena also progresses from a woman who has been stripped of all dignity, not to mention her child, to a woman, thanks in no small part to Martin, who comes to believe that at least to some extent, she can control events. In short she becomes empowered.
Judy Dench is a DBE that is Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Sounds impressive doesn't it? It is. They don't give that to just anybody, not without a long history of accomplishment and Dame Judy certainly has that. With honors and awards that are literally too numerous to mention you don't need this poor reviewer to tell you what a great actor she is. You just need to go see it, and her craftsmanship and artistry will speak for itself.
Steve Coogan is a man of many talents which includes being the co-writer of this script, for which he has just received an Academy Award Nomination. He has some work to do standing toe to toe with Dench, as well as turning Martin from upper crust intellectual snot into becoming what is essentially Philomena's avenging angel. .
The ultimate tribute to these two actors is that it is their performance that sells this movie because the story, the actual quest for the long lost son, which is certainly compelling subject matter, seems to me a bit forced. Plot points, reversal and denouement all occur exactly on cue. The script seems focused on accomplishing these academic points rather than letting the story unfold organically. It is a case of advancing the form at the expense of the substance.
It is also unnecessarily political, not oppressively so, but it's there, you can't miss it. It all seemed a little film studentish to me.
It's been said many times in many places, it's not the destination it's the journey, and because of Dench and Coogan this is a journey worth taking.
Director Stephen Frears came out of a film movement known as the British New Wave of the late 1950's and early 60's. This new wave used a cinematic social realism to depict an oppressive and claustrophobic trap the British working class found itself in (according to the filmmakers) and suggested that the only escape was a complete rejection of middle class standards and morality. It was extremely class conscious and exceedingly grim. If you ever want a couple of hours of unbroken depression, check out a little number called "This Sporting Life". (Not directed by Frears)
Frears punctuated or perhaps killed this movement with "My Beautiful Launderette (1985)in which he maintained the social realism, but added a touch of humor,thus entertaining an audience while profoundly commenting on racism,and social attitudes toward homosexuality.
I bring this up now because Frears still uses the element of social realism in Philomena, but instead of the dark pessimism of the early New Wave, he suggests that perhaps the upper middle class Martin and the decidedly working class Philomena can form common cause in exposing the world's ills, and maybe just maybe, do something about them. After all this time Frears appears to have become an optimist.
This movie has received criticism as an Anti-Catholic screed, and I can see where that argument can be made.This movie is pretty hard on the Church, but the record shows that it is the Church's own actions that have brought on this public scrutiny and public rebuke. The body of the Church will endure and survive these current slings and arrows that it has brought onto itself, but the spirit of the Church with its core beliefs of forgiveness and redemption seem to be in good hands with characters like Philomena.