Philomena Page #5

PHILOMENA:

Well that’s good. That’s grand...

Suddenly, PHILOMENA reaches out and puts her hand on his.

PHILOMENA (cont’d)

I did love him, you know...

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 20.

15A INT. BABIES’ DORMITORY - DAY (FORMERLY SCENE 22) 15A

A long line of babies in cots. Two NUNS tend over them.

PHILOMENA (V.O.)

I disappeared from the world. Myfamily didn’t visit me, and out ofshame my father told everyone thatI was dead. After you’d had your

baby you had to stay in the Abbey

for four years, totally cut off

from the outside world. In order to

repay the sisters for taking you

in, you had to work.

The sheer number of infants, their cots lined up withmilitary precision, drives home the message about Roscrea:

that it is a place that deals in babies.

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16 INT. LAUNDRY, ROSCREA - DAY 16

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The Abbey laundry; swirling steam, clattering noise. Watched

over by YOUNG SISTER HILDEGARDE and two other NUNS, ‘fallen’

GIRLS work loading clothing and bedding into boiling tubs ofwater; or put wet laundry through huge mangles then hang itout to dry on overhead lines.

PHILOMENA (V.O.)

The worst jobs were in the laundry,

and that’s where they put me. Iworked there seven days a week, thewhole time I was there. They tookin washing from miles around andcharged for the service. We weren’tpaid a penny. I worked there withmy best friend Kathleen.

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17

We find YOUNG PHILOMENA amongst them, dressed in a shapelesspinafore, working over a boiling tub. Next to her is

KATHLEEN, a pale faced young woman of roughly the same age.

It’s arduous, physically demanding work and YOUNG PHILOMENAand KATHLEEN, though worn out, try to keep each other’sspirits up with smiles of encouragement.

SCENE DELETED (SCENE 17 NOW 21B) 17

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 21.

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INT. CORRIDOR. ROSCREA - DAY

18 18

YOUNG PHILOMENA, KATHLEEN and three other GIRLS from the

laundry, having finished their shift, hurry along a corridor.

They pass Mother BARBARA, going in the opposite direction.

PHILOMENA (V.O.)

We were allowed to see our children

for an hour a day, that was all.

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MOTHER BARBARA:

Walk don’t run!

The GIRLS immediately slow, walking round the next corner.

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18A INT. DAY NURSERY, ROSCREA. DAY. 18A

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The girls come into the nursery, walk towards camera. Big

smiles on their faces, they crouch and hold their arms out.

As we HOLD on them, FROM BEHIND CAMERA, five little CHILDREN,

aged between two and three, rush past us into their mother’sarms. We pick out YOUNG PHILOMENA... her little boy ANTHONY,

dark-haired, now three - the same age as the photo - runsinto her arms. She hugs him tight, swinging him around,

totally in love.

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19 INT. DAY NURSERY, ROSCREA - DUSK

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19

A little later. YOUNG PHILOMENA is sitting with KATHLEEN.

They watch ANTHONY flying a toy aeroplane and holding the

hand of Kathleen’s little daughter MARY, aged two, as they

walk about together. The little girl reaches to take

Anthony’s aeroplane and he lets her, without protest. Sheflies it about, just like he did.

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PHILOMENA (V.O.)

Anthony was best friends withKathleen’s daughter Mary - he’deven let her fly his little toyaeroplane. True love! The two ofthem were inseparable.

The MOTHERS and CHILDREN are watched over by ANUNCIATA andanother NUN, sitting together. YOUNG PHILOMENA and ANUNCIATAexchange a secret smile - but she can’t talk to her whilstthe other NUN is there, it’s not allowed.

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YOUNG PHILOMENA:

(to KATHLEEN)

Look at that, he won’t let her out

of his sight.

*

KATHLEEN doesn’t answer; YOUNG PHILOMENA sees she is anxious,

worried.

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 22.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

What’s the matter?

KATHLEEN:

(In a sudden rush)

Oh Phil the girls in the kitchen

said Mother Barbara had Mary up at

the house today - what do you think

she wanted with her?

YOUNG PHILOMENA’S turns this over in her mind, but presents a

comforting face to her KATHLEEN.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

I’m sure it’s nothing to worry

about Kath.

PHILOMENA (V.O.)

We lived with it every day. Who’s

child would be taken next?

YOUNG PHILOMENA sees the other NUN leave the room, and seizes *

the opportunity to go and talk to ANUNCIATA. *

YOUNG PHILOMENA *

(To KATHLEEN) *

I won’t be a minute. *

She goes over to ANUNCIATA , sits down next to her and talks *

in a quiet voice: *

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

Kathleen’s worried sick. She thinks

they’re going to take Mary away

from her. I said if they were going

to do that they’d tell her first

for sure...

ANUNCIATA is caught between a rock and a hard place. She’s

just a young girl herself, and she doesn’t know how to deal

with the enormity of what she knows will happen to most of

the girls at the abbey. So she clumsily tries to move the

conversation on, and pulls something from her robe.

ANUNCIATA:

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(Keeping her voice down)

I got something for you Phil, but *

you can’t tell anyone about it. *

She hands YOUNG PHILOMENA a small, black and white

photograph. She gasps: it is of Anthony, clutching his

aeroplane, looking shyly at the camera.

ANUNCIATA *

He’s growing up so fast. *

YOUNG PHILOMENA *

Oh thank you... *

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 23.

ANUNCIATA (cont’d)

I’ll bet his father was handsome.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

He was. How did you... [GET THIS] *

ANUNCIATA:

(Beat)

I borrowed a Box Brownie and took

it when Reverend Mother wasn’t

looking.

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20 SCENE DELETED (NOW PART OF SC. 19) 20

21 INT. HARVESTER, ST ALBANS - DAY 21

PHILOMENA, now at the table with MARTIN and JANE, holds the

same photo, the one Jane saw her clutching the night shefinally confessed all, now in a small leather case. PHILOMENApasses it to MARTIN, who studies it.

PHILOMENA:

Whenever I look at that, I think

about Anthony but I say a littleprayer for Anunciata, who saved hislife when I gave birth to him. Shedied a long time ago... if shehadn’t taken that, I’d have

nothing.

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MARTIN:

So... you were just trapped therethe whole time?

PHILOMENA:

The only way you could leave was ifyou paid them a hundred pounds. Butwhere would I get that kind ofmoney? And where would I go?

On PHILOMENA, we...

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21A INT. LAUNDRY, ROSCREA - DAY 21A

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YOUNG PHILOMENA is back at work in the laundry.

PHILOMENA (V.O.)

It happened about a week later. Iremember that day so clearly.

As she starts to heave a heavy laundry bag over to a tub shehears, outside, SFX tyres crunching on gravel. At this sound

the GIRLS exchange looks, a feeling of dread settling overthem. KATHLEEN starts to shake with fear.

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