ABSTRACT
Philomena is a polished-up true story about a woman who kept a carefully guarded secret: fifty years ago she had given birth to a son who had been ripped away from her when he was three years old, and when she had been living in forced confinement at a Catholic convent in Ireland - the Roscrea Abbey. Philomena was a religious woman of unshakeable faith, which she maintained even after the terrible experience she had at the convent. Part of her inner journey is her search for reconciliation with religion and an attempt to be free from the guilt it had burdened her with. She also sought reconciliation with her parents. A series of flashbacks follow, showing Philomena meeting John at a funfair. He is the young man who charms her, gets her pregnant, and changes her life forever, even though she never sees him again.
