Next films at the Public Hall

Two new films are going to appear in the Public Hall next month

• March 8th – Philomena
• March 22nd – The Railway Man

Philomena

Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a "fallen woman". When her baby was only a toddler, he was whisked away by the nuns to America for adoption. Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for him in vain.

Then she met Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a world-weary journalist as cynical as Philomena was trusting. Together they set off for America on a journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena's son, but also the powerful bond that grew up between Philomena and Martin – a surprising relationship that was both profoundly moving and very funny.

The film is a bitter-sweet comedy, a compelling narrative of human love and loss, and a heart-breaking story that ultimately celebrates life.

Watch the trailer here

The Railway Man

During World War II, Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) is a British officer who is captured by the Japanese in Singapore and sent to a POW camp, where he is forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway. During his time in the camp, Lomax is tortured by the Kempetai primarily for building a radio.

Years later, and still suffering the psychological trauma of his wartime experiences, Lomax, with the help of his wife Patti (Nicole Kidman), and best friend Finlay (Skarsgård), decides to find and confront one of his captors. Lomax returns to the scene of his torture and manages to track down his captor, Japanese officer Takashi Nagase (Sanada), from the prison camp, "in an attempt let go of a lifetime of bitterness and hate".

Watch the trailer here

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