Philomena | ★★★★★★★★★★

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I was not ready for this. Hands down the best movie of last year. Here is what I liked:

The Story: No one told me that this was a story of faith. The movie is based on Martin Sixsmith's book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee." I loved the way that cynicism is confronted head-on by faith and love. Philomena's faith challenged me deeply.

The Acting: Judi Dench is spectacular as Philomena. I cannot imagine anyone else in this role. Also great as the cynical reporter Martin Sixsmith was Steve Coogan.

The Twists: Every time I thought that I had the story figured out everything changed.
I loved that this true story was so unpredictable and so engaging.

The Relationship: For sure, this is a movie about a mother's search for a son who she has not seen for over forty years. Yet the movie is so much more than a quest.
I loved the way that Philomena changed Martin and how he helped to change her.

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I loved this movie, highly recommend it to you, and on a scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★★★★.
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