It sounds so bland on paper – journalist helps old lady find her long-lost son – but when Judi Dench is involved, you know that this is a classy production that will at the very least touch you in your special place: your heart. Stephen Frears, whose body of work includes The Queen and High Fidelity, manages to make both a road comedy and a touching story of redemption and forgiveness, of taking the high road in a world of intolerance and bigotry.
Steve Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, a journalist tasked with covering the real-life story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) and her search for the long lost son she gave up for adoption fifty years ago. This turns into a road trip, at turns comical and heartbreaking, on which the relationship between Sixsmith and Lee is cemented. But the film isn’t all sweetness and light, as the question of Sixsmith’s real angle on the story – he initially pitches it as a story about “evil nuns,” eager as he is to make a name for himself in journalism again – initially lingers in the background, and as the twosome get deeper into the story we discover that there’s a whole lot more to this than just “evil nuns.” The themes go to the highest reaches of the American government, covering the sins of the Catholic Church and more in the bargain.
It’s surefire awards bait, and deservedly so. It has already garnered a lot of Oscar buzz, pushing the same buttons stateside as The King’s Speech managed to in 2011. Seeing as Coogan produced, co-wrote, and starred in the film, it’d be incredibly surprising if he didn’t get at least one nod from the Academy. Incredibly surprising indeed.