Coogan plays Sixsmith, a journalist who`s been fired from his government communications job and is contemplating the none-too-exciting prospects ahead of him: writing a book on Russian history. At a party, he meets Jane (Martin) who tells him about a secret her mother Philomena (Dench) has been harbouring for 50 years. As a teenager, an unmarried Philomena became pregnant and was forced by the Magdelene Sisters to relinquish parental rights to her son Anthony, who was put up for adoption and taken from her. Martin is initially dismissive of this “human interest story, but as he gets to know Philomena and agrees to seek out Anthony`s whereabouts, he gets increasingly invested in her plight. Using his contacts as a journalist, Martin traces Anthony to the States; he and Philomena embarking on a quest in search of her lost child.
The Daily Mail has called Philomena “a film that`s left grown men sobbing and this reviewer can attest to that. The film has attracted a degree of controversy for its depiction of the Roman Catholic Church`s practise of forced adoptions at the time but at its core, it is a heart-rending, sincere portrayal of a mother`s love and of the unbearable anguish any mother would feel from being separated from her child. The more jaded might worry that this would result in the film turning into a schmaltzy gloop, but the superbly-written Oscar-nominated screenplay by Jeff Pope and Coogan tempers this with a judicious sprinkling of sardonic wit, keeping the film`s tone consistent throughout.
There certainly are embellishments and some artistic license is taken with the material for example, Martin confronts a nun who, in real life, died long before Martin knew about Philomena. However, director Stephen Frears (of The Queen fame) ensures the film stops a safe distance of being emotionally manipulative, allowing the drama of any given moment to flow naturally. Flashbacks are given appropriate period detail, a good portion of the film is set in Washington, D.C. and all of it is gorgeously lensed by cinematographer Robbie Ryan, lending geographical and historical scope to Philomena and Martin`s mission. Alexandre Desplat`s soundtrack, playful at times and weighty at others, is excellent even if the main theme bears more than a few similarities to Desplat`s work on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Dame Judi Dench more than earns her seventh Oscar nomination, playing the title character as endearingly gauche but also expertly conveying the deep yearning for a reunion with her long-lost son. She also admirably battled deteriorating eyesight and memory while working on the film. Today, Dench may be best-known as James Bond`s no-nonsense boss M, but in Philomena she exudes warmth and geniality, sometimes naÃ