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The ''[[Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights]]'' issued a report "debunking ''Philomena''" taking issue with factual representations in the film. The report calls it "a cruel caricature of nuns that is based on half-truths and out-and-out lies. That it appeals to the worst appetite in anti-Catholic bigots is not debatable." <ref>Donahue, William [http://www.catholicleague.org/debunking-philomena-2/ DEBUNKING “PHILOMENA"], Catholic League, Jan. 27, 2014</ref> The congregation of sisters depicted in the film said that they were denied a copy of the script, that the film was "very misleading" with the facts, and "twisted the truth".<ref>{{cite news|last=Cable |first=Simon |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2491752/Judi-Dench-movie-Philomena-twisted-truth-says-nuns.html |title=Judi Dench movie Philomena 'twisted the truth' says nuns &#124; Mail Online |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date= 7 November 2013|accessdate=2014-04-10 |location=London}}</ref> But in an interview with Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton with Clare Balding on BBC Radio 2 it was disclosed that, after Philomena met Pope Francis, she watched the film in the Vatican "with two of his right-hand men and they didn't think the film was anti-Catholic".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gms |title=Podcasts and Downloads - Clare Balding's Sunday Best |publisher=BBC |date=1970-01-01 |accessdate=2014-04-10}}</ref>
The ''[[Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights]]'' issued a report "debunking ''Philomena''" taking issue with factual representations in the film. The report calls it "a cruel caricature of nuns that is based on half-truths and out-and-out lies. That it appeals to the worst appetite in anti-Catholic bigots is not debatable." <ref>Donahue, William [http://www.catholicleague.org/debunking-philomena-2/ DEBUNKING “PHILOMENA"], Catholic League, Jan. 27, 2014</ref> The congregation of sisters depicted in the film said that they were denied a copy of the script, that the film was "very misleading" with the facts, and "twisted the truth".<ref>{{cite news|last=Cable |first=Simon |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2491752/Judi-Dench-movie-Philomena-twisted-truth-says-nuns.html |title=Judi Dench movie Philomena 'twisted the truth' says nuns &#124; Mail Online |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date= 7 November 2013|accessdate=2014-04-10 |location=London}}</ref> But in an interview with Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton with Clare Balding on BBC Radio 2 it was disclosed that, after Philomena met Pope Francis, she watched the film in the Vatican "with two of his right-hand men and they didn't think the film was anti-Catholic".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gms |title=Podcasts and Downloads - Clare Balding's Sunday Best |publisher=BBC |date=1970-01-01 |accessdate=2014-04-10}}</ref>

====Historical accuracy====
According to ''League for Religious and Civil Rights'' the movie lacks of historical accuracy, stating that in the movie, the nuns are depicted "giving away her son to an American family behind Philomena's back." The fact is that Philomena Lee was 22 years old when she voluntarily signed adoption papers relinquishing custody of her son. Also in the film, she is portrayed as searching for her son in the United States. In real life Philomena never traveled to the United States until November 2013 when she went to Los Angeles, California to see the movie release in the US. <ref>http://www.catholicleague.org/philomena-never-found-son/</ref>


===Box office===
===Box office===

Revision as of 19:11, 28 April 2014

Philomena
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Frears
Written bySteve Coogan
Jeff Pope
Produced by
StarringJudi Dench
Steve Coogan
CinematographyRobbie Ryan
Edited byValerio Bonelli
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed byThe Weinstein Company
Release dates
  • 31 August 2013 (2013-08-31) (Venice)
  • 1 November 2013 (2013-11-01) (United Kingdom)
  • 22 November 2013 (2013-11-22) (United States)
  • 8 January 2014 (2014-01-08) (France)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million[2]
Box office$98,577,785[2]

Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith. Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, it tells the true story of Philomena Lee's 50-year-long search for her son.

The film has been recognised by several international film awards. Coogan and Jeff Pope won Best Screenplay after it was screened at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.[3][4][5] It was also awarded the People's Choice Award Runner-Up prize at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[6] The film was nominated in four categories at the 86th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Dench, Best Adapted Screenplay for Coogan and Pope, and Best Original Score for Desplat. It was also nominated for four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes.

Plot

Journalist Martin Sixsmith has lost his job as a Labour government adviser, and is contemplating writing a book on Russian history. He is approached at a party by the daughter of Philomena Lee. She suggests that he write a story about her mother, who was forced to give up her baby boy, Anthony, fifty years ago. Although he initially scorns the idea of writing a human interest story, he eventually meets with Philomena and after hearing her shocking story, he decides to investigate further.

After a tryst with a young man at a fair in 1951, Philomena became pregnant and was sent by her father to Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea in Ireland. After giving birth, she was forced to work in their laundry for four years to pay off the cost of her stay. One day she was distraught to discover that the nuns had adopted out her son to a couple without warning or a chance to say goodbye. Philomena had kept her adopted son secret from her family for fifty years, but had visited the convent periodically to try and find him. However they had repeatedly told her that they were unable to help her find him.

Martin and Philomena begin their search by trying one more time at the convent. The nuns are once again polite but unhelpful, and claim that the adoption records had been lost in a fire years earlier. However later at a pub, the locals tell him that the convent had deliberately destroyed the records in a bonfire, and that most of the children had been sold for £1000 to rich Americans.

Martin's enquiries reach a dead end in Ireland, and he invites Philomena to accompany him on a trip to the US to search for Anthony. His contacts there help him discover that Anthony was adopted by Doc and Marge Hess, who had renamed him Michael. He grew up to be a lawyer and senior official in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. Sadly, they also learn that he had died eight years earlier.

Although distraught, Philomena decides that she wants to meet people who knew Michael. They visit a former colleague and discover that he was gay and died of AIDS. They also visit his sister Mary, who was adopted at the same time from the convent, and learn about his lover Pete Olssen. After repeatedly avoiding Martin's attempts to contact him, Olssen finally agrees to talk to Philomena when she turns up at his door. He reveals, to Philomena's joy, that Michael had always wondered about his birth mother, and had visited the convent in Ireland to find out more about her. Martin and Philomena are shocked to learn that the nuns had told him that his mother had abandoned him and that they had lost contact with her. They are also surprised to learn that he is buried in the convent's graveyard.

The story ends where it begins: at the convent. Martin angrily confronts a nun, Sister Hildegard, who had been present when Philomena's son had tried to find her. The nun is unrepentant, saying that losing her son was Philomena's penance for the sin of fornication. Martin tells Hildegard that she should apologize, but is astonished when Philomena instead chooses to forgive the nun of her own volition. Philomena then asks to see her son's grave. Martin tells her he has chosen not to publish the story, but Philomena tells him to go ahead because "people should know what happened here".

Cast

Soundtrack

The score of the film is composed by Alexandre Desplat.[7]

Untitled

All music is composed by Alexandre Desplat

No.TitleLength
1."Philomena"2:53
2."Martin"1:38
3."Birth"3:00
4."Laundry"1:59
5."Adoption"3:37
6."Reminiscence"1:15
7."Airport"1:48
8."Landing in USA"3:11
9."Dream Within a Dream"1:35
10."Discovering Michael"4:52
11."Mary"1:56
12."Confession"5:48
13."Memories"1:16
14."No Thought of Ireland"2:07
15."Quiet Time, To Pete's"3:36
16."Anthony's Story"3:25
17."Sister Hildegarde"3:14
18."Farewell"2:48
19."Fairground Carousel"1:08
Total length:51:06

Reception

Critical response

Philomena received critical acclaim from reviewers upon release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 92% based on reviews from 170 critics, with an average score of 7.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Based on a powerful true story and led by note-perfect performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, Philomena offers a profoundly affecting drama for adult filmgoers of all ages."[8] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 76 based on 41 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim" but is "torn between contrasting approaches".[9]

Kelly Torrance of the Washington Times found that the film "ultimately feels false", with the filmmakers succumbing to the temptation to focus on the "lessons" the story holds at the expense of the human story itself.[10] Justin Chang, of Variety called the film a "smug but effective middlebrow crowdpleaser". While noting Dench's "fine, dignified performance", he observed that much of the humor here comes at the expense of Dench's character. "[I]t's hard not to wonder if the writers are simply scoring points off [Philomena]".[11]

Rex Reed of The New York Observer gave the film a glowing review and named it the Best Film of 2013 saying: "It’s profoundly moving and thoroughly mind provoking, but despite the poignant subject matter, I promise you will not leave Philomena depressed. I’ve seen it twice and felt exhilarated, informed, enriched, absorbed and optimistic both times. This is filmmaking at its most refined. I will probably forget most of what happened at the movies in 2013, but I will never forget Philomena".[12]

Accusations of Anti-Catholicism

The New York Post characterized the film as "another hateful and boring attack on Catholics."[13] The Post's film reviewer, Kyle Smith called it "90 minutes of organized hate".[13] Smith further asserted: "A film that is half as harsh on Judaism or Islam, of course, wouldn’t be made in the first place but would be universally reviled if it were."[13] In response to this review, filmmaker Harvey Weinstein posted a full-page ad in the New York Times protesting this characterization. Smith has accused Harvey Weinstein of making numerous anti-Catholic films, including The Magdalene Sisters (2002), The Butcher Boy (1998), Priest (1995) and Philomena.[14]

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights issued a report "debunking Philomena" taking issue with factual representations in the film. The report calls it "a cruel caricature of nuns that is based on half-truths and out-and-out lies. That it appeals to the worst appetite in anti-Catholic bigots is not debatable." [15] The congregation of sisters depicted in the film said that they were denied a copy of the script, that the film was "very misleading" with the facts, and "twisted the truth".[16] But in an interview with Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton with Clare Balding on BBC Radio 2 it was disclosed that, after Philomena met Pope Francis, she watched the film in the Vatican "with two of his right-hand men and they didn't think the film was anti-Catholic".[17]

Historical accuracy

According to League for Religious and Civil Rights the movie lacks of historical accuracy, stating that in the movie, the nuns are depicted "giving away her son to an American family behind Philomena's back." The fact is that Philomena Lee was 22 years old when she voluntarily signed adoption papers relinquishing custody of her son. Also in the film, she is portrayed as searching for her son in the United States. In real life Philomena never traveled to the United States until November 2013 when she went to Los Angeles, California to see the movie release in the US. [18]

Box office

As of 2 April 2014, the film has grossed $37,336,379 in North America and $61,241,406 in other territories, for a combined gross of $98,577,785.[2]

Accolades

The film and its cast and crew have earned several award nominations, including four Academy Award nominations and four British Academy Film Award nominations.[19] Dench and Coogan received nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress at the British Independent Film Awards.[20] Dench also garnered nominations for Best Actress from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, London Film Critics' Circle, Satellite Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.[21][22][23][24] Philomena gathered three nominations at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.[25]

Historicity

The film took liberties with the real life events. Sister Hildegard McNulty, the principal antagonist in the film, is depicted as having met with journalist Sixsmith after he started working on the story. McNulty died in 1995, and Sixsmith started his investigation only in 2004. The final scene where a wheelchair-bound McNulty chastises Philomena for carnality is also dramatic license.[26]

Sixsmith has said that Coogan's portrayal of him shared his "intolerance of injustice in all walks of life," and his admiration for a woman like Philomena who has the strength to rise above this, but he is less angry than his screen version and is an agnostic rather than an atheist.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Philomena (12A)". Pathé. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Philomena (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Venezia 70". labiennale. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Venice film festival 2013: the full line-up". The Guardian. London. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Official Awards of the 70th Venice Film Festival". Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  6. ^ "TIFF 2013: 12 Years a Slave wins film fest's top prize". Toronto Star, 15 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Philomena (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Philomena (2013)". Flixster Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Philomena". CBS Interactive Metacritic. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  10. ^ Torrance, Kelly (28 November 2013). "Torrance, Kelly. "Philomena", ''Washington Times'', November 28, 2013". Washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  11. ^ Justin Chang Chief Film Critic @JustinCChang (31 August 2013). "Chang, Justin. "Venice Film Review: 'Philomena'", ''Variety'', August 31, 2013". Variety.com. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  12. ^ Rex Reed. "Reed, Rex. "Seek and Ye Shall Find: Philomena Is The Most Powerful Movie of the Year", ''The New York Observer'', November 19, 2013". Observer.com. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  13. ^ a b c Smith, Kyle (21 November 2013). "'Philomena' another hateful and boring attack on Catholics". New York Post. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  14. ^ Smith, Kyle (7 December 2013). "Harvey Weinstein's 'Philomena' attack ad". New York Post. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  15. ^ Donahue, William DEBUNKING “PHILOMENA", Catholic League, Jan. 27, 2014
  16. ^ Cable, Simon (7 November 2013). "Judi Dench movie Philomena 'twisted the truth' says nuns | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Podcasts and Downloads - Clare Balding's Sunday Best". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  18. ^ http://www.catholicleague.org/philomena-never-found-son/
  19. ^ Reynolds, Simon; Harris, Jamie (8 January 2014). "BAFTA Film Awards 2014 - nominations in full". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Nominations 2013". British Independent Film Awards. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  21. ^ Gray, Tim (16 December 2013). "Critics Choice Awards: '12 Years,' 'American Hustle' Earn 13 Nominations Each". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  22. ^ "London Critics' Circle Announces 2014 Film Awards Nominations". London Film Critics Circle. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  23. ^ "2013 Nominations". International Press Academy. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  24. ^ Breznican, Anthony (11 December 2013). "SAG Award Noms: '12 Years a Slave' leads while 'The Butler' surprises". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  25. ^ Reynolds, Simon (12 December 2013). "Golden Globes nominations 2013: Movies list in full". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  26. ^ Sneed, Tierna. "'Philomena' Draws Catholic Backlash". Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  27. ^ Sixsmith, Martin (08 November 2013) Philomena and Me: Martin Sixsmith, on a mother's search for the child she was forced to give up MumsnetGuestBlogs, mumsnet.com