Philomena: Judi Dench reunites with Stephen Frears
Nine years after directing it Mrs. Henderson introducesBritish director Stephen Frears reunited with Judi Dench in 2014 for the film Filomena.
The story begins in Ireland, in 1952, where we meet Philomena Lee, a young teenager who becomes pregnant. At that time and in this society, her pregnancy was seen as a great scandal and Filomena was considered a “fallen woman”. For this reason she is sent to the convent of Roscrea, a place where many young people in her situation are treated, but often in difficult conditions and with little compassion.
Filomena gives birth to a boy, but the joy of being a mother is soon taken away from her. According to the strict rules of the convent, her daughter is adopted by an American couple, without her consent. Philomena is devastated by this loss and spends the next fifteen years trying to find her son, but her efforts are in vain.
The film then takes a different turn when she meets Martin Sixsmith (played by Steve Coogan), a disillusioned and cynical journalist, who contrasts sharply with Philomena’s naivety and persistent faith. Intrigued by her story, Martin decides to help Philomena in her quest to find her son. Together they travel to America, where they hope to find answers. During their journey they discover the extraordinary life that Filomena’s son led.
Philomena Lee really existed
Stephen Frears’ film, winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, is based on the true story of Philomena Lee and her son, Michael A. Hess, as told by British journalist Martin Sixsmith in his book Philomena Lee’s Lost Son published in 2010 according to his article for The Guardian.
Philomena Lee was born in Ireland in 1933. Her life took a dramatic turn when she became pregnant in 1951, at the age of 18, while unmarried. At that time in Ireland pregnancy out of wedlock was considered a great scandal, especially in rural and Catholic communities. To avoid family shame, Philomena was sent to the convent of Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, County Tipperary.
At the convent, Filomena gave birth to a baby boy whom she named Antonio. However, according to the customs of the time, she was forced to work in the convent laundry to “pay” for her stay, and her son was adopted. In 1955, Anthony was adopted by an American family and Philomena was forced to sign documents renouncing any rights to him, a common practice in these institutions at that time.
Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for her son, often in secret, while carrying with her the shame and guilt of her past. He never forgot his son and sought help to find him, but to no avail.
Philomena’s story came to public attention thanks to Martin Sixsmith, a journalist and former BBC Moscow correspondent, who heard about her story. Intrigued, he decided to help her with her research and document her story.
Their investigation took them to the United States where they discovered that her son, renamed Michael Hess, had become an influential lawyer and politician, working as chief legal counsel for the Republican National Committee.t for the Bush administration. Unfortunately, Michael died in 1995, unable to find his biological mother, despite his searches.
Philomena Lee has been very involved in the field of adoption rights; he created his association in 2014 to raise awareness of this topic and advance legislation. He married in 1959and had two children besides Michael Hess.
Source: Cine Serie
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