Characters Drive the Story From Behind the Wheel of a Car.

   Philomena is a story driven forward by its characters (often literally) and only nudged by transpiring events. At any given moment within the film, the narrative stalls completely until either Martin or Philomena act to make something happen. In fact, the movie begins with Philomena’s self-conflict and her ensuing decision to look for her son. It is important for a good drama to be character-driven because it gives us the sense that these characters are influencing their world and each other in a very real way.

   One obvious instance of this is when Philomena and Martin first get to the church to inquire about her son. The nuns of the church are unhelpful and the pair appears to have hit a wall. Philomena’s gentle and polite nature prevents her from fighting but Martin is not so easily deterred. Martin tries to strong-arm the nuns in vain but later tracks down some information that leads him to doubt the nuns’ good intentions. He then finds an alternative source of information which requires Philomena to travel to America. Philomena and Martin have a discussion and she cheerfully agrees to go.

   Martin manages to make some progress in finding Philomena’s son and learns that he has already passed away. Philomena is devastated by this news and decides that she would rather just go home than continue to learn about his life. The story seems to almost die as Martin and Philomena lose their drive and flounder in indecisiveness. Martin is convinced by his editor that he still needs to write a story and he reluctantly attempts to call Philomena. His calls go unanswered and he panics, worrying about her mental state. Martin convinces the staff to let him in her room and rushes to find her standing out on the balcony. Philomena professes her innocent intentions but Martin’s worry leads him to convince Philomena that learning more about her son’s life will help her find consolation.