Films about unlikely relationships are a-dime-a-dozen and it takes skill both in front of and behind the camera to make it seem both fresh and believable. And that’s exactly what veteran director Stephen Frears (The Queen) has done with his latest film, Philomena, a subtly moving and quietly powerful tale of regret, longing and belief.
Based on a true story as well as the 2009 investigative book “The Lost Child of Philomena,” the film follows political journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) who, against his better judgement, decides to take on the type of human interest story he usually wouldn’t go near. In his research for the story he meets the eponymous Philomena (Judi Dench), a woman who 50 years prior was forced to give her baby up for adoption by the nuns at the convent at which she stayed. The two of them then embark on a journey to find out what happened to her son.
The emotional power of the film sort of creeps up on you throughout, making you drop your guard just as it hits you in the stomach with often heart-wrenching moments of truth or emotion. But it wouldn’t have worked as well as it does had it not been for the two lead performances. Dench, in one of her finest performances to date, handles a complicated character with effortless class and believability. She skilfully captures all the complexities of a woman desperate to find out what happened to her long-lost son, really getting across that feeling of her being racked with guilt about not having enough power to stop what happened to her while still making it utterly believable that her faith has remained unshaken, perhaps even strengthened, by it.
Coogan provides ample support as the opposite of Dench’s determined Philomena, trying his best to get the most out of the story but taking a much more world-weary, cynical view on things. He is our everyman way into the story and Coogan pulls it off with aplomb, continuing to show his acting range outside the comedic character comedy with which he’s become synonymous.
In its own way the film is a take on the unconventional buddy road movie what with the striking contrasts in personalities between Philomena and Martin. Many of the film’s most entertaining moments is simply watching the two of them driving in their car, bickering over the smallest of things or discussing the meaning or worth of the continuing on with the search. But it’s also not all about the laughs when it comes to the clashing lead characters. The film walks a skilful line between showing Philomena’s unwavering faith and Martin’s righteous indignation as an outsider looking in, crucially never judging its characters or their actions but rather allowing you to make up your own mind about things. It also makes the key distinction of condemning the nuns responsible for taking Philomena’s baby away from her but not laying the blame at the door of faith or the Church itself, crucial in making it more than just a one-sided blame game.
It constantly subverts expectations of where this sort of movie should go. It almost tricks you into thinking you know how it’s ultimately going to play out but takes some genuinely surprising turns along a journey that’s as much an emotional as a physical one. It manages to be a sweet, endearing and off-beat film without ever becoming trite or overly sentimental. And thanks to a great script co-written by Coogan himself alongside Jeff Pope, it’s also genuinely funny all the way through, with joyous moments of comic relief to punctuate the otherwise serious tone.
Occasionally it relies a little too much on its flashback structure to fill in blanks we probably could have done so on our own and the musical score occasionally intrudes on the drama (sometimes silence really is golden), however these are nitpicks in the grander scheme of what is otherwise a warm-hearted drama comedy that’s easy to admire and even easier to enjoy. Frears’ potentially messy mix of tones actually melds together rather brilliantly into a film that’s as touching as it is funny, one that will send you away completely moved and in no doubt that Dench is one of Britains’ finest acting talents.
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