I always feel myself embarrassed when I’m crying at the cinema. I try to hide my tears and hope that nobody saw it. But this time I noticed that woman on the left from me already take out the second handkerchief, woman on the right tries to take away her tears by fingers. Even old man in the front of me couldn’t keep in his emotions. And I don’t know if these people around me were crying because of laughter or sadness.
After the end of film I saw two girls were showing to each other how many handkerchiefs they used during the screening. I took the elevator, one man asked to his friend: “So, what do you think about movie?” “Hmm… Just film.. not long.. not boring.. yes, a film.” - answered another guy.
Philomena is film based on real story of Irish woman Philomena Lee. She got pregnant in 1952 when she was 18 and was sent as a “fallen woman” to the convent of Roscrea where she had to work hard and had a chance to see her son just for one hour per day. Baby was three years old when he was adopted by another family. Philomena had to sign paper that she wouldn’t try to find him ever… Fifty years later she decides to break her promise and starts to search for her son with help of journalist Martin Sixsmith…
This story could be told as serious drama, but thanks to talent of well-known British film director Stephen Frears, this film has unique balance of comedy and tragedy. Brilliant acting of Judi Dench & Steve Coogan and refined sense of humor make the main characters as a close friends for viewers. This why tragedy of film is so moving and emotional.
Film Philomena is an example of masterly dramaturgy. I really was surprised when “the main goal” of Philomena was reached at the middle of the film. I checked the time on my phone - what can happen else for more than half an hour? But director together with scriptwriter and director of photography did great a job, film astonishes you by unexpected turning-points in developing of both characters - Philomena and Martin. And the most important - film astonishes you by developing your own thoughts and attitude towards main conflict of the film.
Martin Sixsmith is presented as cynical, well educated and “former” catholic political journalist. Philomena is 70 years old catholic woman, who flies by Ryanair, likes to watch ‘big mother’ TVshows and read some love-story series books, who thinks that Martin has graduated from “Oxbridge”. When so different two persons have to be together it seems funny, it seems like two opposite paradigms met each other. And of course, we know whose paradigm is more “civilized and modern”.
But this movie changes your mind and makes what I think art has to do always: it asks you a question. This film makes you think about obvious things deeply. Philomena Lee’s story is only one story from thousand other similar stories. It has to be spoken, justice should prevail. But this movie doesn’t just accuse something or somebody of what happened many years ago. It would be too easy and arrogant. This movie asks everybody of us what is real humanity, what is real wisdom and strength of person. 30/30