This is a simple movie about a person dealing with complex emotions and crises. The two principle characters are very different people, and their journey together is both unlikely and moving. This is a moving piece of work that concerns itself with faith, doubt, maternal love and friendship. It features two wonderful performances by Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, and I think it was only right for it to be included in the running for Best Picture last month.
Judi Dench stars in the title role as a woman with a daughter and a secret. She has held on to this secret for some 50 years. One day, as Philomena's daughter comes upon her in an emotional state, she finally lets the secret out to her daughter. When Philomena was a young woman, she had a baby boy out of wedlock. Philomena's daughter has found her in this emotional state holding a wallet sized picture of the boy, who would be 50 years old now. As a young, unmarried woman, Philomena had sought shelter at a convent, where she was taken in by a group of nuns. There, she gives birth to the boy, and begins working for penance. The nuns end up exploiting her and the other moms, and it turns out that they are "adopting" out the babies that the young unwed mothers are bringing to them. This story comes to the notice of writer Martin Sixsmith(Steve Coogan) whose career is in a lull. He had worked for the British government, but his career has hit a dead end, and he sees this human interest story as a fascinating little anecdote that will make for a good story. Together, Philomena and Martin begin a quest to find Philomena's long lost son, and see what has become of him.
The movie works on two different levels. First, the search the Philomena is on is itself quite captivating. Her son was taken from her when he was no more than 2 or 3 years old, and she has wondered ever since what has become of him. Because she was emotionally abused by members of a church order, it would be very easy for this movie to fall into knee jerk anti religious sentiments. Instead, it confronts the evils head on, but still gives us a character in Philomena who hangs on to her faith, in spite of the difficult experiences she has had. For Philomena, the representatives of the church have deeply disappointed her, but that does not take away her faith in something higher. The second way that this movie works so well is how it depicts the relationship between Philomena and Martin. Martin is a confirmed, worldly skeptic who doesn't buy into Philomena's faith. He is also much younger than Philomena, and at times he seems to think that he is humoring the poor old woman. In the end, Philomena, while no spring chicken, is sharper than he first thinks, and her depth of feeling and faith somehow captivates him. While he seethes at the moral failings of the church, Philomena is forced to take a tough look inside and find out what she thinks about forgiveness and grace. While Martin doesn't seem to come around to Philomena's way of thinking, he does seem to be a bit wiser by the end of the film, and he might be forced to think about the nature of forgiveness, and what we do when people (especially those in the church) turn out to be moral failures.
The performances are great. The actors are given material that is highly complicated and emotional, and both of the lead actors are believable in their roles. Judi Dench has become a highly respected actress in America, an honor she has had in her homeland for decades. Here, she plays her role with great care, as she depicts an older woman who has her quirks, but is sharp as a tack. Steve Coogan is with her every step of the way. He plays a role where is isn't quite sure "with it" Philomena is, but ends up being constantly surprised by her insight and her intelligence. This is a movie about real people, and it comes across as a very true and genuine work. I still haven't seen the Best Picture winner yet (12 Years A Slave), but this is another film that was very good, and I look forward to seeing the film that beat it out.
