Film Review: Philomena (M) 5 stars

 

I know, many of you have seen this movie, but maybe there’s someone out there who hasn’t, so I will write this for you!

 

Here in Victoria, Australia we are having a hot spell. It is too hot to be in the garden and there is nothing very interesting on television. Last night we resorted to watching a video. Maybe in the Northern Hemisphere it’s too cold to work in the garden, and you might like to watch a good movie also.

Philomena is based on a true story of a mother, played by Judi Dench, looking for her lost son. It is directed by Stephen Frears.

The story flits into the past, 1952, where Philomena is a young girl in Ireland and gives birth to a son in a convent. Here she works for her keep, and is allowed to visit her child for an hour a day. As a ‘fallen woman’, she had no rights, and toddler, Anthony, and his best friend are sold to an American couple for adoption.

Philomena never forgets her son. When she has almost given up trying to find him herself, she manages to convince a journalist and former government adviser, Martin Sixsmith, (Steve Coogan), to take on her mission. He is reluctant at first but he gradually succumbs to Philomena’s charm and is touched by the injustice of what has befallen her. Their search takes them to America.

Although this sounds a somber topic, it is heartrending and convincing as we see the journalist and Philomena form a bond as they search for her son. The ending: I shall leave this for you to discover, as it is well worth seeing for your-self. This film was winner of Best Adapted Screenplay and won the BAFTA Awards 2014, as well as being nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards in 2014.