I’m not someone who tends to gush about a movie. I have a line between good and bad, and few films reach the exceedingly good category. It’s a place for VIP’s. However, Philomena is one of, if not the most, important films of the year.
The film follows the true story of Philomena Lee, an Irish woman who fifty years ago gave up her son because she was not married and forced to work at a nunnery, only allowed to see her son one hour a day until he was taken away. Her daughter, upon finding this out on the son’s 50th birthday, contacts Martin Sixsmith, a journalist who has just lost his job as Labour government advisor. Martin and Philomena then go on a long journey to find her son, Martin having Philomena’s permission to publish her story once the search is over.
It's recommended that you get rid of all these pretences. For Philomena is a lot more than a chick flick. Director Stephen Frears stated that he wanted the film to be the sort that makes you both laugh and cry; it certainly does that. Philomena has that easygoing humour that you find extremely easy to laugh along to. And it often comes about from an old woman’s lack of insight to the modern world, or clashes between Philomena and the journalist Martin Sixsmith. However there are quite a few times throughout the film that it decides to give you a sickening blow to the chest, full of emotions that you can’t help getting teary-eyed about.
With such a great storyline and script (written by Steve Coogan himself) it's safe to say that no, Philomena is not a chick flick. It is so much more than it. It’s a moving, emotive and inspirational film about a woman’s internal struggle from giving up her son, and the search to be re-united with him.