Philomena: Past Perfect

Judi Dench is a marvel in this movie as an Irish woman who gave birth out of wedlock when she was a teenager in 1952, was forced to give up her son, and sets out to find him 50 years later.

Steve Coogan, a journalist without a job, reluctantly signs on to accompany her in the search and write the human interest story he considers to be below him.

Sadly, this heartbreaking film is based on a true story and one that wasn't unique in 1950s Ireland.

As the journalist, Coogan reveals what it's like to chase a story and stick it out when all his work threatens to go up in smoke.

 But the movie belongs to Dench, whose performance is spot on. She suffers, yet has an inner strength and resilience that, at times, seems super human.

A mother's love has never been portrayed as well.