9/10 - Philomania is a movie I would like to see
For the ignorant, like me, Philomena tells the story of an old woman, the titular character, played by the always astounding Dame Judi Dench who has spent 50-year search for her son. A writer, played by Steve Coogan becomes involved, trying to write a story about her experiences having her son at an Irish convent, and her inability to find information about her child who was adopted against her will.
This is absolutely an Oscar-worthy movie, but likely won't win anything, because typically comedies are never credited as much as they should. There are some moments that made me cry from laughter. Although it deals with some heavy issues, it never becomes preachy or self-righteous. This is a character story, and the two leads portray carefully crafted people who are so deeply flawed and still charmingly real.
It's a gripping movie to watch. Never did I anticipate where the story was taking me. There are moments that feel like plot devices, and I think there are many who will interpret an attacking message by the end of it. I wasn't one of those people, because it felt to me that both the characters and the film tried to separate the teachings of religion with those who make choices on behalf of religious institutions. Particularly with an Irish setting, this can be dangerous territory, but I think its best to view movies like this as a character piece, not a political statement.
The script was adapted by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope from the book about the real life Philomena, written by Martin Sixsmith. Few movies have the kind of power that Philomena does. It's truly worth your time.
IMDb - Philomena (7.8)
Wikipedia - Philomena
Rotten Tomatoes - Philomena (92%)
Amazon.ca - Philomena
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