Philomena

This film is probably the opposite of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, there is nothing big or blockbuster about this film, yet it's just as enjoyable.
Judi Dench shines as Philomena Lee who commits a great sin. When she is a young girl, played by Sophie Kennedy Clark, she meets a boy and they engage in the enjoyable but sinful act of sex. Philomena becomes pregnant and is sent away to a convent where she will have her baby. And then she must stay there for the next four years to pay them back for their kindness. She only gets to see her baby for one hour a day while she slaves away in the laundry. But the worst thing happens and the nuns don't even tell her about it. Philomena's son, Anthony, and her friend's daughter, Mary are bought by an American couple.
The film is about her journey to find him. It begins with Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a jaded and depressed former journalist. He has no interest in her human interest story, which he overhears from Philomena's daughter, Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin, who needs to be in more films), but after a talk with his wife, he changes his mind, albeit reluctantly. He has time on his hands and this story interests him, plus it will get his name back out there.
So Martin and Philomena set out to the convent, still in existence to begin. But all the records burned in a fire. I should say they were burned in a fire. According to a local bar owner, the nuns had a big bonfire in their fields to burn the adoption papers. Yet the one paper saved was signed by Philomena herself, saying that she had no right to her child. She doesn't regret signing the paper.
Fortunately, Martin has contacts, both in Britain and the United States. Yet, they won't tell him much so he convinces Philomena to come to the United States with him. She does and enjoys it, but the paper Martin is working for is footing the bill. His editor (Michelle Fairley) loves the sensational story.
And the story only gets more sensational. Luckily, Martin's contacts come through. Anthony was adopted (aka bought and paid for) by an American couple which meant that his name was changed. Not just his last name, but also his first name. Anthony is now Michael Hess. Or he was Michael Hess. A quick internet search reveals the devastating truth. Michael has been dead for eight years. He had a good job, worked for two presidents but had a secret homosexual lifestyle and thus died, as Philomena and myself predicted, of AIDS.
Sure, Philomena is devastated, but decides not to leave. She wants to meet people who knew him. And she does. She meets his co-worker, she meets his sister, Mary (Mare Winningham), who doesn't even bother to ask any questions about her mother and finally, after some extreme struggles, she meets Michael's partner, Pete Olson (Peter Hermann). Pete does not wish to speak with Martin, but Philomena tries him herself. Another twist occurs. Before his death, while Michael is dying of AIDS, he visits Ireland and the convent where he was born. But the nuns tell him that his mother abandoned him. Even though Philomena has visited them several times, they always told her that they had no new information about her son. Philomena chalks this up them not knowing about the name change, though one nun who was there in her time is still there and did nothing.
Upon returning to Ireland, Martin and Philomena return. Martin is furious and lashes out at the elderly nun who regrets nothing. Philomena sinned and deserved all of the suffering heaped upon her. Nevertheless, Philomena forgives her. She feels sorry for Martin, incapable of kindness and compassion. Still, the film manages to tie up all the loose ends, with Philomena visiting the grave of her son. He buried at the convent where he was born. Philomena's life has come full circle.
The story is a sad one, but one that does need to be told. Martin will later turn Philomena's story into a book. It shows how unsympathetic the Catholic Church can be, evil as Jane calls them. Thank goodness times have changed. Yet,  Philomena is still the devout Catholic while Martin who has had nothing devastating like that happen to him is the one who doesn't believe in God. The chemistry between the two is great. Coogan is equally as good as Dench, though one does feel more sympathy for her. She even says that forgiving the nun wasn't easy for her.
The problems I have with the film are minor. The character of Mary, albeit a cameo role, is hard to define. She says that life with her adopted parents was far from ideal. Her doctor father was tough. Her life is nothing like her brother's living a much simpler lifestyle. Mary seems almost cold and distant. Once Pete opens up, his is not.
There are also funny moments, like when Philomena visits the Lincoln Memorial and is worried that her son might be obese, because of all the large portions in America.
This film is not to be taken lightly, but it shows a time that should not be forgotten, when being a single mother was more than just frowned upon-it was taboo. It showed no sympathy for them, never. Certainly that's not what a church should stand for. Grade: A