Review #739: 'Philomena' (2013)

Steve Coogan, for all his comedic popularity in his native UK, has always struggled when it came to the movies. The recent Alan Partridge movie aside, his credits consist mainly of sub-par comedies such as The Parole Officer (2001), or indie oddities for Michael Winterbottom like the excellent 24 Hour Party People (2002) and the disappointing A Cock and Bull Story (2005), none of which really show the full talent of the man. His performance opposite Judi Dench in Philomena will no doubt bring him the success he really deserves. He also co-writes an Oscar-nominated screenplay with Jeff Pope, which helps elevate Philomena from being your usual hankie-demanding movie-of-the-week, to a well-rounded, deeply sad film about two people who are brought impeccably to life by the actors.

Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), recently sacked as a Labour government advisor, is looking for a new direction in his life. A book about Russian history seems the logical way to go, but after a chance encounter with Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin), who tells Martin an intriguing story about her mother Philomena (Dench) and her quest to find her long lost son, he sees not a story of redemption, but a way to simply keep himself busy with a simple 'human interest' story. He travels with Philomena to Sean Ross Abbey in Ireland, where she was left abandoned by her parents and soon found herself pregnant. She was permitted to see her son for only an hour a week, until he was taken away by adoptive parents to America.

On the surface, this is a mismatched-buddy comedy with an emotional thread running through its centre, but Philomena is much more than your average tale of redemption. Normally with these kinds of films, the lead characters are at each other's throats for the entire movie, only to learn from one another and see things in a new light. There is no such emotional manipulation here. Martin is posh, cynical and sarcastic. Philomena is naive, warm, and enjoys Mills & Boon novels. They end the film the way they start, and it's their conflicting attitudes to the events that unfold that form the film's main strength. On one hand, the film seems angry and unforgiving, and on the other, it shows us the power of forgiveness.

Not to say the film isn't funny, it just goes about it in a much subtler way. Martin's first-time experiences amongst the working-class provides most of the funnier lines ("I've never been to a Harvester before,"), and the dialogue between these polar opposites as they find themselves in close-quarters in the hotel, feels unforced. If you don't know this alarming true-life tale, then it's best to stay in the dark until you either see the film or read Martin Sixsmith's book, as what is uncovered is truly shocking. It doesn't have a rousing score or any long-speeches - director Stephen Frears keeps things simple - but the film is all the more effective for it. One of the best understated dramas of the year.


Directed by: Stephen Frears
Starring: Steve Coogan, Judi Dench, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Anna Maxwell Martin, Michelle Fairley
Country: UK/USA/France

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie