Photo credit: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
In our countdown to the Oscars, we continue with Best Picture. Our previous countdown eliminated “Her” – “Captain Phillips” – “The Wolf of Wall Street” – “Gravity” – “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Nebraska.” The remaining nominees for Best Picture are: “12 Years a Slave” – “American Hustle” “Philomena”
Now we explore “Philomena”
“Philomena is the true story of one mother’s search for her lost son. Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a “fallen woman”. When her baby was only a toddler, he was taken away by the nuns for adoption in America. Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for him in vain.
Then she met Martin Sixsmith, a world-weary political journalist who happened to be intrigued by her story. Together they set off for America on a journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena’s son, but also create an unexpectedly close bond between them.
The book “The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee” was published in 2009. It acted as a catalyst for thousands of adopted Irish children and their ‘shamed’ mothers to come forward to tell their stories. Many are still searching for their lost families.” Production Notes
Sad yet bittersweet, Philomena’s dilemma is every mother’s nightmare. Her journey chronicles what has long been known about what most of us would consider child stealing and religious abuse. The real Philomena was welcomed by Senator Claire McCaskill and other congressional members last week to discuss her new initiative to reunite Irish mothers and American children separated by forced adoption. As much as we liked the movie and Judi Dench, alas………we’re taking it off the list for best picture……..seven down, two to go.
The Trailer:
