As good as the film Philomena was, the screenwriters took license with the original details; if you want the real story, read the book, originally titled the Lost Child of Philomena Lee. The entire plot (loosely based a true story) hinges on whether the birthmother/adopted son are able to find/connect with each other.
In this case, the connection between birthmother and son was able to be established fairly easily for a few reasons:
1) The adoption was international, so there was an accessible visa record for the baby, which furnished the parents' names
2) The adoptee became well known, and had financial wherewithal, so he was easy to trace
3)The adoptee was male, so he never changed his name (after infancy/the adoption, when it originally was changed by his US parents)
Most adoptees (such as my brothers) have no such assistance. Although they have registered, they are unable to locate their birth parents or find information about their genetic and historical heritage. Most developed countries (including Great Britain) have open records for adoptees once they reach age 18; the US lags behind. Even slaves had access to their birth records...
If you start on this page and read through, it explains the situation for US adoptees and birth records: http://www.bastards.org/bb-open-records-why-its-an-issue/
Since the story of Philomena did have a US component, I thought the filmmakers missed a chance to note (in the black and white follow-up statements at the end) the continuing inequities for adoptees that exist in this country.
