Rating: 4.5/5
It will take a tough heart with a soul of steel to make it through the drama “Philomena” without getting attached. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan capture the audience with a performance that amuses and sinks its roots in deep.
Based on the 2009 biography “The Lost Child of Philomena,” this drama follows Philomena (Judi Dench) as she travels with Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) from Ireland to America searching for the son taken away from her by the Roscrea nuns.
In dreamy flashbacks full of color, young Philomena (Sophie Kennedy Clark) falls for a handsome young man at the carnival. These flashbacks come to life through a filter that nicely ages the video and creates memories. The nuns scold Philomena for her pregnancy and send her to work doing laundry. They show no mercy, even in childbirth when she’s screaming. The writers, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, penned quips that summed up the entire scene in a sentence. In this case it was, “this pain is her penance.”
The journey begins with Martin Sixsmith, a pragmatic, cynical — maybe mildly depressed — BBC journalist who lost his job. Before embarking on this mission with Philomena, Martin turns the offer down because it is a human-interest piece that “vulnerable, weak-minded people read.”
Steve Coogan plays Martin well, giving him the tough façade of a journalist, but Judi Dench does more and steals every scene she’s in. She captures the audience with humor and keeps them holding on by pouring out every bit of emotion she can bear. It’s enthralling.
When Martin and Philomena travel to America, they experience highs and lows but they keep trudging. There are moments that could very much veer into Hallmark territory, but Dench and Coogan manage to turn the overly sentimental music down with their performance.
The rough, emotionally draining scenes are well-balanced with lighthearted humor that distracts the audience and allows for an even harder punch next time. Martin and Philomena are quite the opposites and it plays well on-screen. Philomena, a God-loving Catholic woman who is genuinely excited by each person she meets, cheers up the inquisitive realist that “will try to manipulate her.” Philomena entertains Martin and makes him rethink himself, by replying to his emotionally fueled questions with simple answers.
These season actors have the chops to take on these real roles. Dench doesn’t even have to cry in a scene to show emotion, she simply lets her head fall down and it says more than tears or wails possibly could. Their chemistry speaks to the audience and lets foreseen scenarios slide by. It’s easy to see they’re going to turn down a wrong road and have to hold each other up, but it’s worth watching anyway.
The beginning of the film seems a bit rushed, but when Martin and Philomena meet, everything seems natural and moves along smoothly. It’s clear why — their performance makes the film what it is. Every detail played its part to keep the focus on them. If they fell short, the film would’ve failed, but together they thrived and shared a story that resonates.
