Philomena | Blu-ray Review

Just when you thought that Stephen Frears’ latest film, Philomena, would be yet another questionable exercise from the once generally revered auteur, (judging from a recent string of misfires that resulted in his career worst with 2012’s unfathomably awful Lay the Favorite), he switches it up with his best work since The Queen. Presented at the Toronto Int. FIlm Festival, the Academy Award and BAFTA award-nominated crowd pleaser, to be sure, but despite its unavoidable pretense as an awards darling (of which there are bound to be several), a disavowal to wallow in chintzy schmaltz at least makes it deserving of praise in that it’s intelligently written (and based on a true story! Oh my!) and genuinely performed, even if the film is rather visually banal.

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, a 2009 book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, here portrayed by Steve Coogan, provides the basis for Stephen Frears’ treatment, scripted by Coogan and Jeff Pope. In 2003, Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) reveals to her daughter a secret she’d kept for fifty years: the birth and subsequent adoption of a child she’d had as a teenager, out of wedlock. An Irish-Catholic, Philomena was abandoned by her family and sent to live in a convent in Northern Ireland. There she would join a group of young women in similar scenarios, forced into slave labor as repayment for the church’s care, allowed one hour per day with their kin, which were sold in secret to rich Americans. While Philomena, like all the other young women were asked or forced to sign contracts from the church that stated they would never be allowed to inquire about their adopted children, Philomena has decided that her desire to find her son finally outweighs the archaic indoctrination of the church, an institution which tries to seem helpful to Philomena in her quest, but a suspicious caginess alerts Sixsmith to the possibility that they know more than they let on.

Just as Helen Mirren’s performance inspires much of the critical praise in The Queen (for many), Judi Dench will bear the similar brunt of accolades for her warm turn as the empathetic Philomena. While the powerfully sorrowful true story at the heart of Frears’ film is certainly mined for appropriate dramatic effect, it is Dench and co-star Coogan that manage to spin a completely modern and relatable dynamic into an utterly satisfying simmer.

Disc Review

Receiving four Academy Award nominations, including a much deserved nod for Judi Dench, along with a more questionable notice for Alexandre Desplat’s score, Anchor Bay’s Blu-ray package of Philomena is a moderately packaged affair, though Robbie Ryan’s cinematography seems handsomely transferred. Thankfully, a couple of extra features are available, including interviews with Dench and Coogan. However, it’s a much shorter feature that gives us a few moments of time with the real Philomena Lee and her daughter that seems most fascinating and is definitely worth a look. Additionally, feature commentary with Coogan and screenwriter Jeff Pope is also available. Despite its rather surprisingly true and somber subject matter, Philomena is a powerfully moving narrative even upon multiple viewings. The documented struggle of Dench and the Weinstein’s bid to secure a PG-13 rating from the MPAA despite more than one use of the F word will hopefully pay off for the film’s shelf life, as this deserving title should discover an even wider audience and rewarding reputation.

Final Thoughts

During the initial set-up, where we receive establishing details and a flashback of Philomena’s scenario (for a resoundingly disturbing and well-made period piece about the scandalous subject, see Peter Mullan’s 2002 film The Magdalene Sisters), proceedings feel a tad rote, so maybe we should be thankful that the rushed pairing of the two leads happens rather quickly. But these seem like small squabbles as the film unfolds, revealing brazen scandals from an unscrupulous church (no shocks there) as well as endearingly heartfelt discoveries Philomena makes in her search for her son, her reactions and loving desire to find him providing the film with its greatest surprises of all, fantastically played by Dench.

Even if Coogan’s Sixsmith is your standard cynical stereotype of the jaded journalist, he provides a much needed foil as the voice of a building and seething anger at unfolding circumstances (and it’s a bit of a freewheeling 180 from Coogan’s performance as Paul Raymond in this year’s The Look of Love). It’s Sixsmith’s undiluted criticism of Catholicism and religion in general that lends Philomena its greatest asset as a crowd pleaser with the huevos to remain undoubtedly clear about its potentially unfavorable stance. Overall, it’s great to see Frears back in fighting form and with a film that aims to please without always playing it safe.

Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆