Saturday, November 23, 2013

Philomena



Philomena is the bittersweet story of a simple Irish woman, who, 50 years ago, had suffered the cruelty of the type of nuns, who operated the infamous Magdalene asylums from the mid-18th century until 1996.   These were institutions where young Irish girls, who were orphaned, abandoned or “shamed,” were indentured to work in laundries and whose children were sold to mostly American couples.  Truly, the shame of a religion and a nation.

When Philomena (Dame Judy Dench) comes out to her daughter Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin) that she has a half-brother, who was stolen from her in infancy, Jane entreats journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) to help her mother find him.


The journey the odd pair take is full of pathos and charm. 

Director Steven Frears worked from a script by Coogan and Jeff Pope that was based on the book by the real Martin Sixsmith.  Yes, this film is based on a real life story.

What I really liked was the fact the absolute horror Philomena Lee and countless women suffered was unmasked in a story where the victim of fake Christianity becomes the true Christ-like character.
I give Philomena a 4+ out of 5.

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