Philomena

Apparently the rumors of Judi Dench’s retirement from acting because of ongoing vision problems were greatly exaggerated, and Philomena proves that the Oscar-winning actress is still at the top of her game.

Dench is wonderful is the title role of this true-life drama as a spiritually conflicted woman who teams with a British journalist in an effort to track down her long lost son.

The story takes place in the recent past in Ireland, where Philomena Lee decides to begin searching for her son born about 50 years earlier in a convent. Because she was an unwed teenage mother at the time, the Catholic church took her son from her and sold him into adoption in the United States as a form of punishment.

Helping Philomena in her quest is Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a disgraced public official and former television newsman who reluctantly latches on to the story as a potential public-interest piece. As the duo begins investigating, Martin’s atheist indignation contrasts with Philomena’s more forgiving attitude toward the church. They wind up in Washington, D.C., where more surprises await.

In the confident hands of veteran director Stephen Frears (The Queen), Dench is allowed to shine, with generous close-ups that aren’t for the sake of vanity, but rather to reveal the nuances in a portrayal that captures a woman whose inner conflict is conveyed more through facial expressions and body language than through dialogue.

The biggest surprise in the film might be Coogan, who also adapted the screenplay from a book by Sixsmith. Coogan is probably best known for his improvisational and comedic skills, yet here his understated performance gives moviegoers an emotional window into Philomena’s story, and to form an on-screen partnership that feels more genuine than gimmicky.

The film is a subtle critique on the power of organized religion and socioeconomic class differences, while also examining one of the cruelest of cultural and spiritual traditions from a bygone generation that became outdated while its lingering effects did not.

Philomena contains some traditional crowd-pleasing elements, along with plenty of warmth and humor to balance its inevitable sadness. But perhaps its biggest asset is the ability to allow its story of past sins to have so much contemporary resonance.

Rated R, 98 minutes.