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When former journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is dismissed from the Labour Party in disgrace, he is at a loss as to what do. That changes when a young Irish woman approaches him about a story of her mother, Philomena Lee (Dame Judi Dench), who had her son taken away when she was a teenage inmate of a Catholic convent. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search for him that eventually leads to America. Along the way, Martin and Philomena discover as much about each other as about her sons fate. Furthermore, both find their basic beliefs challenged.
2002. Former BBC journalist (Steve Coogan) is mildly depressed for being fired from his post as a press secretary for a British government minster for information misconstrued in something he wrote, he being the token fall guy in the matter. Initially thinking about writing about his forte of Russian history, he somewhat reluctantly, as his first post-firing job, decides instead to write a probably more lucrative human interest story on (Dame Judi Dench) when he learns of her plight from her daughter, Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin), his reluctance as he doesnt see himself as a writer of fluff. As a teenager, Philomena (Sophie Kennedy Clark) lived at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Ireland as an unwed mother, there where she and the other unwed teenaged mothers were required to live and serve the abbey as "repayment" for four years. They all had limited access to their children, and while many, including Philomena, wanted eventually to leave with their children, they knew the nuns could and would adopt out the children if given the opportunity. Philomenas son, Anthony (Tadhg Bowen), was adopted when he was aged three, she not even being notified or thus allowed to say goodbye to him before it happened. Although Philomena has thought about Anthony her entire life and had made attempts to find him before, she has a strong feeling of uncertainty about him now on what would have been his fiftieth birthday. She doesnt necessarily want to see him, especially if she knows he doesnt want to see her, or blame anyone, especially those at the abbey as she is still a devout Catholic, but just wants to know that he is all right. In his time with Philomena, much of it just being the two of them alone, Martin, who has generally led a life of privilege, has to overcome his derision toward her solely because of her more provincial attitude. After visiting the abbey where most of the nuns from Philomenas time there have died, Martin decides to follow an anecdotal and thus unsubstantiated lead which takes the two of them to the United States. That rift between the two of them could widen if he discovers something in the story that she doesnt really want to know, or follow-up on, which could in turn be problematic as she may or may not be aware that he contractually has a story to write, he needing to find its most newsworthy aspects, good or bad.
Judi Dench
Philomena Lee
Steve Coogan
Martin Sixsmith
Sophie Kennedy Clark
Young Philomena
Mare Winningham
Mary
Barbara Jefford
Sister Hildegarde
Ruth McCabe
Mother Barbara
Peter Hermann
Pete Olsson
Sean Mahon
Michael
Anna Maxwell Martin
Jane
Michelle Fairley
Sally Mitchell
Wunmi Mosaku
Young Nun
Amy McAllister
Sister Anunciata
Charlie Murphy
Kathleen
Cathy Belton
Sister Claire
Kate Fleetwood
Young Sister Hildegarde
Charissa Shearer
Peg
Nika McGuigan
Bridie
Rachel Wilcock
Mamie
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