Philomena

I knew nothing about the real life Philomena Lee or her story before seeing the film, which is the best way to experience this movie.  I would go so far as to say to not read this review until after you've seen the movie.  Of course, I will do my best to keep spoilers at a minimum.  Still, Philomena is a film full of warmth, humor, and genuine surprises, it would be a shame to ruin a second of it.  This is simply a delightful film.

What could have easily been a manipulative and sappy little movie, was instead entrusted in the careful hands of director Stephen Frears (The Queen), and co-writer and star Steve Coogan.  These two not only make sure that the film avoids being manipulative for the most part, but to respect the actual woman behind the story.  Philomena is played here by Judi Dench.  We learn that some fifty years ago, she became pregnant as a teenager, and was essentially disowned by her family.  She is sent to an Irish convent, where she gives birth, and then is seldom allowed to see her son.  Instead, she is forced to work off her "debts incurred by her labor" by working in the laundry room.  Eventually, her son is adopted by a wealthy American family.  Philomena has kept her past a secret from everyone around her, but as her lost son's fiftieth birthday approaches, she can't help but be haunted by her memories.  Her adult daughter (from another marriage) finally finds out about her mother's past, and strives to help her track down her missing boy.

The man that Philomena turns to is a disgraced former reporter for the BBC named Martin Sixsmith (Coogan).  Martin used to cover important breaking news stories, until a quote of his was read out of context, and cost him his entire career.  Now he's debating between covering human interest stories for a small news publication, or writing a book on Russian history (a subject he knows that few people are interested in).  When Martin meets Philomena for the first time, we can tell that he generally looks down on her.  He's used to covering important people, and here is this spirited yet slightly rambling old woman who wants his help in tracking down her lost child.  But, the more that Martin digs into the story, the more it intrigues him.  The two eventually get a lead that sends them to Washington D.C., where they attempt to piece together the son's life, and track down the people who know him best.

Philomena is an odd yet effective mix of a mismatched buddy comedy, a detective story, and a powerful human drama.  The screenplay by Coogan and Jeff Pope sticks relatively close to the facts, while also managing to balance out these different elements.  The comedy comes from the odd couple relationship created by both Martin and Philomena, as well as Philomena's reaction to life in the US and her efforts to chat up anyone she comes in contact with.  And as Martin begins to dig into the past of the missing son, the movie reveals some intriguing details that I will not cover here.  All I will say is that it brings about some issues of tolerance, and some sad reminders of the way things used to be.  As Philomena learns about her son and the life he has led, she begins to picture home movies in her head of certain moments in his life, moments that she has missed.  It is not only heartbreaking, but easily relatable as well.  Although I'm sure many of the efforts used by the real life Sixsmith to track her son down have been greatly shortened here for cinematic convenience, we still get enough of a struggle so that when the answers do come, we are just as relieved to learn them as Philomena is.

I also enjoyed the way that Martin and Philomena truly play off each other.  Martin is short tempered and quick to fits of anger.  When some of the sadder aspects of her son's life come to light, and the people around him don't seem to care, he is quick to lash out verbally or become threatening.  Yet, when Philomena is faced with a cold person who has caused her much grief in her life, she simply forgives them and walks away.  Not only do the characters play off beautifully as written, but so do the performances by Dench and Coogan.  Dench, in particular, joins the short list of my favorite actress portrayals of the year, alongside Sandra Bullock in Gravity, and Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.  As for Coogan, his combination of his trademark dry wit and growing sympathy for the woman he is working with creates a memorable performance.

Philomena is a movie that could have gone wrong in so many ways, it's almost amazing how much it manages to get right.  It's not exactly a subtle film, and it wears its heart on its sleeve.  And while there is obviously some emotional manipulation going on, it never becomes so forced or overwhelming that I felt turned off.  This is the best way to handle a story like this, with plenty of emotion, but also a sense of integrity.  The movie manages to tug at our hearts not through forced melodrama, but through genuine emotions of joy, grief, and anger.  It works for and earns the emotional response that it gets.  If the characters and the movie itself feels genuine, it's probably because the real life Philomena Lee was there on the set.  The filmmakers obviously have great respect for her story, and wanted to portray it the most faithful and honest way they could.  They have had a great success at doing just that.

I really couldn't be happier with this film.  It's low key, effective, and succeeds at everything it sets out to do.  It tells a wonderful true story, and shows a great respect for the person at the center of it all.  This film was not only an unexpected surprise, but is also certain to be one that I return to many times in the future.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

0 comments