Philomena

The movie starts a little melancholy and turns bittersweet. Really touching for those who are or yearn to be parents. Not sure why it's labeled "comedy". Acting was good and touched on a lot of contemporary topics. Well done drama and was surprised that it has some real basis, though events are sadly believable.

Out-of-work reporter helps old lady find out what happened to her son who she had when a teenager.

This movie deserves Oscar all star winner. It was just nominated 4 awards. Philomena(Judi Dench) is the name of the English woman who was grown in a convent by nuns. When she was 16, she got pregnant and the nuns treated her as a sinner, took away her child, sold him to America. After 50 years, she is desperate to find her adopted son and her daugher meets this journalist (Steve Googan) who usually writes other matters rather than human stories but finally decides to help her finding her son/ write a story about what happened back then. There are severel or many of the same or similar stories already made from Europe but none of them touched me this deep. Only Stephen Frears –FLORENCE Foster JENKINS, THE QUEEN, MRS HENDERSON PRESENT- can be possible made this emotionally so touching drama. Also Judi Dench once and for all deserves an Oscar winner for sure. She was not flamboyant or cried or shout or anything but she was so very herself all into the character. I was even wanted to see this movie a little more even during the credit is rolling. I wanted to see more of her life! Philomena’s life! All of the Stephen Frears’ movies are so delicate and instant classic that you should just have to buy them and collect them. Steve Googan doesn’t believe in god that much. He thinks that they are in some way fraud. When he hears about what happened to Judi Dench, he was so angry and that anger helped her all the way. I felt his justice. When they finally have researched and even meets the lover of the son, they found out that after the son- he was gay and got AIDS- got AIDS, he visited the convent to trace his mother, they all lied by saying she abandoned him and never wanted to meet him. He was even buried in the yard at the convent. They thought that she was a sinner and deserved not to even meet the son even after 50 years apart. May I ask what kind of a sin that she’ve made? Had sex with a boy whom he loved at an early age? Is that it? Is is so against god that she has to let go of him abroad not even knowing that the nuns are selling the baby to America? Not even be able to meet him after he was succeeded –He became a team for the President Regan as a politician– and came back to meet her but they lied that she didn’t wanted to see him ever? Sometimes if the movie is so real, the charactors are so great, as an audience, I become so angry as well at the fact. But how she reacted was, I was wrong. I am happy to know that I finally had a chance to retrace him. Don’t blame the nuns. They did nothing wrong. I was wrong. But for Steve Googan as a man, he couldn’t help becoming so angry. The very old nun still think that she is a sinner and what she did was all right. After everything have been passed, they finally wrote this into a book. It was all revealed into this book. As I said, there are a lot of similar movies dealing with this matter but this movie stands alone so vivid because of the director Stephen Frears. He knows how to cook two actors so well. Judi Dench constantly talks about what she thinks, at the beginning it was kind of tiresome but as time goes by we begin to fall in love with that. Steve Googan, a kind understanding man, a man with responsibility, brave and righteous man. This movie deserves more attention.Where to buy :dvd is 7.00$ , bluray is 8.59$ , Korea dvd is 20$ART: 96/100 STORY 97/100 BOXOFFICE/FUN 95/100 MUSIC 96/100 ACTING 97/100 DIRECTING 97/100 SEXUALITY na/100 ACTION na/100 BLOOD/GORE na/100 CINEMATOGRAPHY 97/100

Philomena is well deserving of the 23 wins and 41 nominations received. Based on a true story of an Irish woman's search for her son, the movie is a journey of discovery. Because it has so many twists and turns that will completely surprise you, I won't spoil the outcome. (Tissues may be required.)The story begins with Philomena's encounter with a young man at a fair, with whom she has sex. As a result of her encounter, she becomes pregnant. Her family sends her away to Sean Ross Abbey in Ireland, where she gives birth at a convent that houses young girls who are pregnant out of wedlock.During her time there, Philomena endures the harshness of working seven days a week and the constant condemnation of the nuns for her sexual indiscretion. Eventually, her young son and another baby girl are adopted by a family. For 50 years, she has kept the secret of what happened to her, even though she eventually married and had other children. In her mind, it was a sin to have given birth out of wedlock and a sin to have kept it secret for 50 years. She can't decide which is the worse of the two.A journalist, Martin Sixsmith, decides to do a human interest story about Philomena's experience and search for her son. Her own attempts to find out what happened to him have been unfruitful, but with his journalist connections he is able to help her discover his whereabouts. They continue their search in Washington, D.C. It is here, that the story begins to surprise and shock its audience, but it culminates in a discovery you don't see coming.The movie is filled with themes, mostly around faith, guilt, regrets, unconditional love, and the ability to forgive the cruelty of the sisters' actions. Unfortunately, Philomena is a woman driven by guilt of sins past and those present, which have been placed upon her by the church. Martin is a man who doesn't believe in God or understands the reasoning of the Catholic faith, and he often clashes with her beliefs.The true story is also a very sad commentary of the practices of this particular Catholic abbey regarding their own lack of compassion and secrets. From 1930 to 1970 they housed pregnant, unwed mothers, buried the ones who died in childbirth from poor care, sold babies, and continued to make the girls pay for their transgressions with heartless treatment and hard work. In the end, it was a story that had to be told.Judi Dench is wonderful, of course. She was nominated for best actress multiple times for this movie, and the winner of multiple awards. Steve Coogan humorously portrayed the journalist, along with his cynicism over religion and the church. At times, you chuckled over some of his comments and the sparring between Philomena and himself.All in all, it's quite a good movie. Be forewarned it may challenge your beliefs.

Sadly this is not only a true story; but I know of other women this has happened to.Having and R/C mother and a Protestant father, I have attended both churches and won't have anything to do with either of them anymore.This film just re-confirms the abusive power of the Roman Catholic Church.Beautifully acted and first class photography too.Interesting role for Steve Coogan - I hate his TV shows with the Partridge character with a vengeance.Coogan comes over as an upper-class self centred unpleasant idiot - who is forced by circumstances to change his style and write about real people instead.he comes over as very genuinely concerned, but more so because of his journalistic past and looking for the truth when given the run around.It takes a while to believe he cares for the characters experiences; but what comes over very clearly is the absolute evil that the Irish R/C church forced on innocent people.Well done that man.

Anyone who watched the real Philomena being interviewed will know what a courageous and inspiring person she is and Judy Dench's magnificent portrayal of her character is equally courageous and inspiring. The casting of her co-star Steve Coogan playing the part of the journalist, Martin Sixmith, who led Philomena to find her long lost son was something of a surprise to many but the chemistry between these two make a perfect partnership in this emotive and thought provoking story which will enthral you from beginning to end. Be prepared to cry a little but, don't worry, you will laugh too and, at the end of the journey through London, Ireland, New York and finally back to the tranquility of Ireland, you will feel exhausted but uplifted at the same time. This film is definitely a keeper.

Philomena is a well written well acted true story of a lady searching for her son who she was forced to give up when she was a young mother. This is a gentle story with some lovely comedy moments amongst the emotional content.Both Judi Dench and Steve Coogan play their roles superbly and this unlikely couple are a joy to watch. Their relationship grows in a organic manner and feels perfectly natural.An unlikely hit across the board this gentle tale is a pure joy to watch.

Very well acted, they were both superb. Have not seen Steve Coogan in a serious roll before and he was brilliant as the disgusted journalist helping Philomena to find her son (whom the evil nuns sold to an American couple). It is a shocking film in that it is based on facts and this did happen in the early 50's. Having said that, there are also some funny and uplifting scenes too so it is not all doom and gloom (just shocked that this was still going on as late as the 50's). A 'must see' film.

Everyone should see this film as it headlines the terrible things that happened to unmarried mothers and their children, particularly in Ireland. The Catholic Church has a lot to answer for. Hopefully this film will help to open up this can of worms, which the Catholic Church seems determined to hide from the world. The shocking thing is that the trafficking of these unfortunate children, to the financial benefit of the church was still going strong in the 1960s.