{"id":15559,"date":"2013-10-16T23:57:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-16T22:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=15559"},"modified":"2014-08-27T15:48:53","modified_gmt":"2014-08-27T14:48:53","slug":"lff-2013-philomena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2013\/10\/16\/lff-2013-philomena\/","title":{"rendered":"LFF 2013: Philomena"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Judi<\/a><\/p>\n

A moving odd-couple road movie based on real events is powered by two outstanding lead performances and the return to form of director Stephen Frears<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Based on the true life tale<\/a> of how former Labour spin doctor Martin Sixsmith<\/a> (Steve Coogan) came across the story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), an elderly Irish woman looking for the child she was forced to give up for adoption in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

Their journey leads them from London to the original convent in Roscrea, Ireland<\/a> and then on to Washington DC, where Sixsmith’s previous life as a BBC journalist comes in handy as they try to find out what has happened to her son.<\/p>\n

The misery wrought on generations of young women by Irish nuns was also the subject of Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters<\/a> (2012), but whilst Frears takes a very different approach, it is both subtle and clever.<\/p>\n

Working with an intelligent script by Coogan and Jeff Pope, humour is frequently used to highlight the differences between the cynical, Oxbridge journalist and the (seemingly) naive Irishwoman.<\/p>\n

But whilst there are some very funny scenes and memorable lines, Frears skilfully manages to slowly stitch together the two emotional strands, blending heartbreak and laughter with a precision rare in modern cinema.<\/p>\n

Coogan is convincing as the highbrow journalist concerned that he is slumming it in a mere ‘human interest’ story, whilst Dench has her best role for years as the title character, bringing an innocence and wisdom to the part.<\/p>\n

Even those familiar with the events of the basic outline of the story may be blindsided by key sequences, as the comic surface is often complemented by a depth and engagement with issues such as faith and regret.<\/p>\n