His arrival for the screening of his competition entry “Child of God” (adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel) drew screams and even a collective lunge, deftly contained by a couple of good-humoured security guards. Meanwhile, the biggest attraction for the Italian fan girls camped out next to the red carpet was US actor-director-writer-provocateur James Franco. But coming from the director who gave us films like the nimble, imaginative “The Queen” and the delicious noir “The Grifters”, this is far from Frears at his best. Despite moments of wit (the director wrings odd-couple humour from the relationship between working-class, devoutly Catholic Philomena and posh, cynical atheist Sixsmith), “Philomena” is essentially a tearjerker, complete with a cloying score from Alexandre Desplat.ĭench and Coogan sell it well, occasionally cutting through the high-minded sentiment to dig up some real emotion.
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The film is based on a true story: Philomena Lee was one of many “fallen” Irish women in the 1950s shamed into giving up babies they had out of wedlock to nuns, who, in turn, sold them to wealthy American couples looking to adopt.įrears gives the story a slick makeover, blending melodrama and comedy with brisk professionalism and a hearty helping of schmaltz. But the biggest competition crowd-pleaser – the film that generated the most laughter, tears and applause – has been British director Stephen Frears’ “Philomena”, starring Judi Dench as an Irish woman who enlists former BBC reporter Martin Sixsmith (played by Steve Coogan) to help find her long-lost son.
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The 70th Venice Film Festival has been underway for five days now, and everyone in attendance has a favourite among the movies screened so far.įor me, nothing has been as gripping or hauntingly beautiful as Kelly Reichardt’s “Night Moves”, which premiered Friday night.