Movies “based on a true story” are all the rage this season, and some of them, like Captain Phillips and this one, are very good indeed. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and fictionalized truth — in the form of movies which perhaps artificially sharpen and heighten their most dramatic points (think Argo) — may be the best combination of all. Philomena is a quality production on all counts.
Judi Dench portrays the title character, a woman whose son was given away for adoption fifty years ago. When she finally admits the secret she has been holding for so long, Philomena is persuaded to allow a journalist (Steve Coogan) to help her find her long lost son and document the search and meeting. It’s a quirky, sentimental human interest story that, predictably, does not follow its prescribed path. Humor is abundant, yet the story develops a dark undercurrent that propels it forward to a climax taut with tension.
Director Stephen Frears is wonderful with actors so it is no surprise that Dame Judi Dench is terrific. She creates a character who is simple yet sophisticated at the same time, with raw emotions to which everyone can relate. The big surprise for me is Steve Coogan, a British comic who not only anchors the film as serious journalist Martin Sixsmith, but who wrote this film as well, based on Sixsmith’s book. Coogan hits just the right notes of arrogance and distraction as Sixsmith contemplates a writing assignment he believes is beneath him, and humility and compassion as he accompanies Philomena on an international journey to learn the truth about a person who is closer to him than he realizes.
This is a wonderful character study, but it’s more than that. It’s a great journalism story, following clues that lead from the expected to the incredible, with an element of modern injustice that must be seen to be believed. It’s a cry for understanding from two intelligent people with vastly different ways of looking at the mysteries of life and searching for its answers. It’s an indictment of a very particular lifestyle, which, thankfully, has gone out of fashion in our more enlightened times. And it is a prayer for forgiveness. It’s a superb movie. ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. 8 December 2013.