Complex cinematic techniques were not a prominent feature of this film — the simplicity and straightforwardness of the techniques mimicked the subtle air surrounding the film as a whole. This contrasts with Citizen Kane, where every scene seemed to have three possible interpretations until you took into account all of the camera angles and lighting and stage-setting and realized the number of interpretations exceeds a dozen. While I can understand that the viewer may feel it to be an over-kill, I appreciated the heavy use of cinematic techniques in Citizen Kane — it appeared to be a deliberate attempt to counterbalance Kane's inability to convey his own thoughts and emotions — all of the camera angles and shots were struggling to compensate for his ambiguity. For Philomena, the importance was both in the words being spoken, considering this was a dialogue-heavy film, and in facial expression — particularly the eyes. As a result, there were a lot of close-ups throughout the film (and centering of the character's face/body within the shot). Very plain, very blatant in its purpose: watch this person's face. This person's face will reveal a lot more about what they're thinking than they're ever going to admit. I also appreciated the static look of the movie — lots of moments where the audience is staring at a car winding down the road, or a woman sitting in her chair, or two people simply walking along. Nothing tricky.
There were a lot of scenes I could convince you were my favorite, but one in particular stood out because it evoked such an unpredictably authentic reaction from me. The two, Martin and Philomena, wait to board a plane back home due to the startling discovery of Anthony's death, thus putting a halt to Martin's human interest story and Philomena's hopes. As they sit, Martin pulls up a picture of Philomena's son standing with President Reagan — he was a senior official for the Reagan administration — to show her. Her delight abruptly shifts to dismay as she recognizes one of the cameramen in the picture to be Martin. Taking a closer look, he confirms his presence in the picture (before his job as a journalist he worked for the BBC). As a memory of that day begins to strengthen in Martin's mind, he recalls actually having met Anthony face-to-face. Sharing this news with Philomena, there is a shift in her whole way of being. She becomes unreservedly giddy — teeming with elation at the idea of being able to store even the slightest bit of this new knowledge in her mind — the strength of his handshake, the way he said "hello." This raw sense of desperation was permitted to surface in the loveliest of ways — every word that passed through Martin's teeth she plucked up and held close.
I knew this scene had impacted me in a wonderful way because I found myself reacting to this flood of emotions in such a personal way, despite the fact that I never had (or lost) a child of my own.
I could talk for ages about this movie…but I won't, obviously. HOWEVER, this was one of the most pleasant, satisfying films I have ever seen — I would highly recommend it. 5/5.
