by Joseph Rossi
by Joseph Rossi
Judi Dench gives a wonderful performance in Philomena, a great little film by Stephan Frears. It is one of compassion, heartbreak and beauty and belongs on the top of a list of memorable characters given life by this amazing talent.
The film is based on the real life story of Philomena Lee, an Irish woman looking for her lost son who was given up for adoption fifty years ago by the nuns of the convent where she had lived. Being an unmarried pregnant woman was a sin in the eyes of the convent administration so they dealt with the problem by selling the children of these women to American parents willing to adopt Irish children.
Steve Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, a shamed BBC journalist and the author of the book on Ms. Lee’s quest. Coogan plays him as a comedic, yet hardened man, the total opposite of the woman he is trying to help. Coogan, who also co-wrote this smart and witty screenplay, is smart enough to keep things focused and to the point. His writing (along with Jeff Pope) is filled with memorable dialogue and tight, well thought out scenes that I hope will get recognition later in the year. He and Dench make a great pair. One sweet and kind, the other bitter and surly. Dench creates a character with such a sense of hope and a loving, forgiving heart, to see her in pain after the many disappointing avenues that she and Sixsmith take, made me cringe. That’s how good she is. You fall in love with her.
Much praise should be given to Frears. A director that has been around for years; here he has made one of his best films. He’s not fancy; he is smart enough to let his actors shine. There were plenty of times where the film could have delved into pure sentimentality but he shows restraint and avoids such traps. The film is emotional but it doesn’t hit a kitten over the head to get the effect.
This has been a wonderful movie going season. There have been plenty of smart films aimed at mature, adult audiences. Philomena is one of them. Check it out.
