Philomena

Oh, it is on iplayer, but must advise people that it doesn't have the humour and warmth of Philomena and will leave you a bit shell shocked [but still worth seeing if anyone wants to find out more about hypocricy].

Oranges and Sunshine was on telly the other night as well; only noticed it when I was channel hopping. Wonder if it's on iplayer? Philomena was on R5 last week, but couldn't tell everyone when I realised as I had no internet at the time.

I saw the film last night and thought it was brilliant, particularly the portayal of the relationship between Philomena and Martin Sixsmith. I imagine that both of them could be exasperating in real life.
I never realised before the extent of the hypocrisy with the Catholic Church, and it mystifies me why so many people who have had personal experience of it, like Philomena, still have faith and the ability to forgive.

Interesting item in the lates W.I. mag.
Picture of the real Philomena and mention of the fact that her 'lost' son bequeathed a substantial amount of money to the 'Convent'....... and still the Christian Nuns (hrmph) didn't reveal that he had been looking for his Mum and she for him!
Made me all over again!
She is very forgiving.

I haven't read the book. Agree with Teagan's assessment of the film.

Yes, I was a bit disappointed in the book. It's very different isn't it? Not really about the mother but about the son and his problems forming relationships that lasted.

Loved loved the film but disappointed with the book. It was heavy on the ins and outs of American political life. I found it quite hard going to read. I was hoping to learn more about how Philomena coped with life after leaving the convent.

You'd be fine with the film because of the incredible balance of tragedy and humour; very difficult to pull off but this film has done so.

I am almost finished the book and don't think I could cope with the film I find it incredible that this happened not that long ago and well within my lifetime.

grandimars, I felt the same. Impossible to put into words how awful these women were.
Steve Coogan showed himself to be a fine actor indeed. I was pleasantly surprised, because I didn't like Alan Partridge, either.

Just seen this today, and found it very moving but also felt incredibly angry at the sanctimonious attitude and bare-faced lying of the nuns. I too am glad that I'm an atheist. I didn't like Alan Partridge, but this film shows what a fine actor Steve Coogan is.

Went to see this the other night - and what a good film it was! Very tear-jerking and also very funny. I'm going to look out for the book.

I have just read the original book by Martin Sixsmith.

It was written some time ago, but at the end it says that on behalf of Philomena he has spoken to the archivists of the Irish government and the Limerick Post office in search of John McInerney, Anthony's father. I wonder if he found him.

Saw it about 3 years ago I reckon. Again based on a true story. Tissues at the ready...

Tegan I haven't seen it but will look out for it. Is it still current? If not, our local library has a good selection of films.

I don't know if any were ever brought to justice. It made me smile a few years ago when I found out that the nuns who taught us were called The Sisters of Charity. Very little charity to be seen in that school and church believe me.

Were any of these sadistic nuns ever brought to justice?

Particularly those in the Magdalena laundries who seemed to be so cruel to those poor unfortunate girls.

Disgraced priests have been brought to book - what about the nuns?

I'm not sure if the footage was authentic. I went to a Catholic school and was taught by nuns. They were the same sort of order as those in the film.
My school was in this country and although I never heard of anything like Philomena and the other girls suffered, the nuns (some) could be pretty cruel and so could the priests.

I think I'll look at him in a different way now. Of course, a lot of the film was quite topical [and close to his heart] about where the media should draw the line when looking for 'a story'. This was a film of many levels, all of which it succeeded in. The more I think about it the more I realise how good it was. And, as someone said in a review, the way it was made means it will reach a much wider audience. Have you seen 'Oranges and Sunshine' OGM? If you 'enjoyed' [not quite the right word but can't think of the correct one] Philomena, you'd find it interesting. The church, yet again, doesn't come out of it very well.

Tegan I remain angry, it's the 'what might have been'. Knowing what they did about Philomena's son (they= those heartless nuns) there could have been a different outcome! and .
I've always liked Steve Coogan and think his power of observation enabled him to create some memorable characters!

But wasn't there film of him at the convent? Or, was that film taken from later and superimposed in some way. I really do need to see it again! The woman next to me was sobbing throughout the film. When I was in my late teens I worked with a girl that had had a baby adopted, and she said she'd look in prams whenever she walked past one, thinking it might her child . I'd like to think that they found each other again one day. If I buy the dvd and watch it with my daughter I think we'll set each other off and cry throughout the film. The more I think about it, and the more I realise how much Steve Coogan was involved in the writing and making of it the higher he goes up in my estimation [he might be in danger of becoming a national treasure, but also he may now be given the chance to show what he can really do, acting wise. Or maybe this film worked because he was tailor made for the role?]

Tegan I also avoided reading too much about it beforehand, and actually wasn't expecting there too be much more of a story than the obvious one. It's a good job we weren't in the same cinema, we'd have turned the air blue together on leaving.

It could be that the film of the young boy is authentic, he was adopted as say a 4 year old, and his new family took home movies from the time they adopted him...

It could be Tegan, I had a super 8 cine camera in the 60's and they had been around for some time. I think that's part of what was so horrifying - this happened in our lifetime not in the Victorian era. I had an Irish friend who would have been a bit older than Philomena when she became pregnant but she escaped the nuns and came to London to have her baby, she had to have him adopted and always hoped that they would find each other but it didn't happen. Thought it was a very good film and showed a side of Steve Coogan that I hadn't seen before,

Described in a review as 'real life super 8 footage', but surely the film of her son when he was really young isn't authentic? Will probably buy the dvd when it comes out as I'd like to see it again [and that will have the 'making of' stuff which will explain everything...hopefully]. I'm glad I didn't read up to much about the story before I saw the film. I left the cinema muttering lots of words beginning with 'f' under my breath .

Tegan, that's not a dumb question at all. Daughter and I think they are authentic, in other words they are the original, private home movies of the adopted boy and his family. I was just as angry.