PHILOMENA

I went to see the movie 'Philomena' yesterday and found it most offensive, both as an Irish National, and as a Catholic. I promise you - we're not all savages! As I left the cinema I put on my best Canadian accent in case I got a dirty look from the back seat rebels. I didn't imagine the rumblings I heard coming from them, in between the popcorn munching - 'Those Catholics are all bloody Nazis!' I can't say I blame them - given the bias against Catholics.

In fairness to Hollywood, they present a far better version of the Irish, than the British do. For one thing, they make us likeable and intelligent - unlike the producers of 'Philomena'. Though critics gave the movie rave reviews, I beg to differ. I did not like Philomena's personality as portrayed in the movie. She came across as being an ignorant woman of low intelligence. I found the journalist's communications with her to be both patronizing and awkward. Her comments about being afraid her son would be obese "Because the Americans are all huge" was just one of the many cringe-inducing moments in the movie. An Irish person giving this movie rave reviews, is like a turkey voting for Christmas. In a country where we rely heavily on tourism - the movie did us no favours. The families who dumped their pregnant daughters into convents were little better than the sadistic nuns who 'dealt' with them.

Since I'm not an atheist like the creator of the movie, and am indeed fortunate to have a faith that sustains me, I did find the movie a bit extreme, and almost adolescent-like in its disdain for Catholics. I guess I'm a little jaded of all this 'knock the Catholic church' sentiment. There is so much of it around currently. Not all Irish Catholic nuns and priests are evil people. I truly have some sympathy for the genuine folk who have given their lives to God. The Irish missionaries who travelled far from  home to spread the good news, and help the poor in 3rd world countries. These are the Irish Catholics whose stories we need to hear about - not the pedophiles who exist in every level of society where evil is rampant.

For one thing, nuns do not sell statues and gifts in their convents, as the movie portrayed. That is usually done in churches or shops. It is unrealistic that a person could walk into a rural church, and get confession on the spot. Churches usually have specific times for confessions. Also, when a person is praying in church, a priest would never come over and idly chat to you. If you are praying, your privacy would be respected. These small errors showed the writer's ignorance about Irish Catholicism.

Normally I love Judi Dench as an actress, but I felt that she wasn't a good fit for the role of Philomena. I think Irish actress Brenda Fricker would have been brilliant in the part, and would have conveyed that Irish gutsy spirit in a more convincing manner.

This movie didn't mooooooove me! The Irish Republican in me didn't like the way the British told our story. Enooo! Really, it could have been done far more convincingly if the viewer could have seen a less biased version. In all fairness -sadistic, money-mad lesbian nuns  - is that really all there is to Catholicism?
Once again - I beg to differ.

Now that I've got that off my chest - I need a cup of tea!!

Love,

Patricia xxx