PHILOMENA: no histrionics, just compelling storytelling

PHILOMENA is the true story of a young Irish woman forced to give up her baby by nuns who goes searching for him 50 years later and makes the horrendous discovery that he's grown up into a Republican.
Best Actress Oscar nominated Judi Dench stars as Philomena Lee, playing her as a beguiling mix of naivety, street-smarts, and determination a woman who finds strength and solace in her religious beliefs even though it's the same Catholic church that is responsible for her lifetime of sadness and longing.

Dench is magnificent, holding the screen with an effortless grace and authority that makes it possible to simultaneously enjoy another great performance by Britain's greatest living actress and believe in Philomena as a real life character. Her presence also brings out the best in co-star Steve Coogan, inspiring him to dig deeper than he's done before in an effort to shake-off the Alan Partridge persona that's coloured every non-Alan Partridge part he's ever played on film and tv. He doesn't entirely escape from the shadow of the Norfolk local radio personality but by mid-film the vocal tics and inflections were definitely less distracting.
Even more of a revelation than his acting is Coogan's Academy Award nominated screenplay. Low-key and devoid of unnecessary and manipulative sentimentality, it reflects Philomena's own non-nonsense approach to life, and is as deserving of its Oscar nod as Dench's and the film's for Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Whether PHILOMENA goes home tonight with any of the coveted golden statuettes is almost impossible to predict. It faces very tough competition in every category from films that are so different that it seems unfair to try and rank them against one another. But win or lose, PHILOMENA is most definitely worthy of your time and attention.