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Philomena
- Director: Stephen Frears
- Writer: Steve Coogan; Jeff Pope
- Producer: Carolyn Marks Blackwood; Steve Coogan
CGiii Comment
What a story!!!
There are not many films out there that will have you laughing, crying and screaming at the screen in abject anger...this, without reserve, will.
Coogan - a man who has definitely improved with age - is sarcasm personified bouncing off of a more than able-bodied side-kick, Ms Dench. Possibly, the unlikeliest comedy duo of all time - and, one of the most effective.
The writing is sharp, stinging and, surprisingly, solemn. Yes, it is vehemently anti-Catholic but not anti-religion...there are different, less harsh, ways to worship your God - even after a life of doctrine and shrill discipline.
The inhumanity on display should shock even the most steadfast of devotees - not even the greatest advocate could justify these so-called Christian practices.
Frears, Coogan, Dench - a remarkable job. And, Philomena, there are no words - for you and all the others - that can describe the shame that we feel...
Hang these evil bitches from the highest tree. Dismantle this vile institution brick by brick.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
When former journalist Martin Sixsmith is dismissed from the Labour Party in disgrace, he is at a loss as to what do. That changes when a young Irish woman approaches him about a story of her mother, Philomena, who had her son taken away when she was a teenage inmate of a Catholic convent. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search for him that eventually leads to America. Along the way, Martin and Philomena discover as much about each other as about her son's fate. Furthermore, both find their basic beliefs challenged.
Cast & Characters
Judi Dench as Philomena;
Steve Coogan as Martin Sixsmith;
Sophie Kennedy Clark as Young Philomena;
Mare Winningham as Mary;
Barbara Jefford as Sister Hildegarde;
Ruth McCabe as Mother Barbara;
Peter Hermann as Pete Olsson;
Sean Mahon as Michael;
Anna Maxwell Martin as Jane;
Michelle Fairley as Sally Mitchell;
Wunmi Mosaku as Young Nun