Stephen Frears’ drama Philomena inspires a career-best performance from Judi Dench, and shows that humour and humility can be found in the darkest places of all…
Philomena (2013) drama; United Kingdom; director: Stephen Frears, writers: Steve Coogan (Screenplay), Jeff Pope (Screenplay) Martin Sixsmith (Book “The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee”)
Stephen Frears latest Philomena reveals the shocking true story of a mother (Philomena – Judi Dench) forced to give up her child by the nuns of a strict Catholic convent to an American family. After fifty years of church- and self-induced guilt, Philomena reveals the secret of her lost child to her daughter, as well as her lifelong desire to find him. Enter Martin Sixsmith (played by Steve Coogan), BBC journalist and former Director of Communications to Tony Blair’s Labour Party, who stumbles upon Philomena’s story in the middle of a career lull and burgeoning existential crisis. Firstly dismissing Philomena’s case as a simple ‘human interest story’ (“I don’t do human interest stories”, he says early on), the rude, dislikeable, arrogant but fleetingly compassionate Martin begins to dig deeper, discovering some shocking truths about Philomena’s long-lost son and the Catholic nuns who oversaw his forced adoption.
It may sound heavy-hearted and depressing yet to its immense credit – whilst Philomena pulls no punches as it pulls on heart-strings – the film is imbued with the wry incidental humour for which Steve Coogan (who also wrote the screenplay) is of course most renowned. Make no mistake, though – his portrayal of Martin is not one of comic relief. He’s the yin to Philomena’s yang. What a yang. There’s real conflict there – he condescends, she endures, he digs deeper, she retreats; one sympathises with the plight of Judi Dench’s Philomena, her want to live guilt-free, certain and painless; one empathises (and tends to agree) with Martin’s secular outrage.
A sense of duality runs through both characters and to the very core of Stephen Frears wholehearted and tone-perfect movie. Philomena could quite easily be interpreted as an atheists swipe at the shortcomings of the Catholic Church, its secrets and lies and institutional conspiring. But Frears is smarter than that; in realising Martin as the cypher for atheists everywhere, opposite and alongside Dench’s wonderful Phil, he ensures there are no martyrs here. Did Catholicism do this to Philomena? No – but Catholic nuns did this, in a convent no less, a convent surrounded by the graves of young mothers and children with nowhere else to go. In Philomena, Catholicism is not the enemy but the friend of the enemy. Is it the enemy, therefore? Frears does not sit on the fence, and whilst Philomena is quietly dignified, it is cannot be described as “understated”. Forgiveness or fury, Frears says, but pick a side already.
A few final reflections. A wonderful moment when Philomena sits in an airport, contemplative and conflicted. A traumatic and horribly maintained pause mid-film that will haunt you. Amongst all this, laughter, loud and clear. Some amazing, heartbeat-raising swearing from Steve Coogan. An Academy-baiting performance from Judi Dench who may never be better. Cate Blanchett may be the early favourite after Blue Jasmine, but I’d bank on Judi after this display. Stephen Frears will be up for Best Director, too, and Coogan for Best Supporting Actor, probably. All thoroughly deserved.
I leave the film wondering: who could really forgive in these circumstances? Could you? Really, could anyone? I leave the film raging at an institution that would ever act this way without reprieve. Questioning my own ability to forgive. Contemplating my own instances of inability. Wanting to be better at it. But really, I’m not her. I’m Martin. I’ll probably always be Martin. So fuck those nuns.
Deryn O’Sullivan (@silverscene_)
Deryn Paul O'Sullivan 