She is repeatedly rescued, but always by men or by chance – she never escape catastrophe thanks to her own ingenuity.
From Porto Alegre's participatory budgeting and the literally destratifying cable cars of Caracas, to Nairobi's "digital matatus" and the repurposed bus-ferries of Manila, the communities of the south are responsible for an ever-lengthening parade of social and technical innovations that rival anything the developed world has to offer for ingenuity and practical utility.
Christine Langan, head of BBC Films and one of Philomena's principal backers said: "The recognition … is a thrilling testament to Philomena's amazing story and the film-makers' ingenuity and humanity in the telling of it".
The fear is, here and everywhere, that this autumn's hardships are just the beginning: there will come a point when no amount of ingenuity, flexibility and cunning can stand in the way of empty coffers.
It was the ingenuity and non-violence of the camp that many Tory women found inspiring.
Related: Supersizing Manhattan New Yorkerss rage against the dying of the light These new buildings – a product of developer ingenuity, architectural advance and international wealth – are changing more than the city's famous skyline, though.
Whether you're here, or in the deep space of EveOnline, or among the low-life in Grand Theft Auto V, the economics of computer games nearly always resemble early capitalism: trade, conquest and ruthless rule-bending are the sources of wealth; actual human labour and ingenuity almost never.
If you're an optimist, the fact that there are 1.3m apps out there provides a delightful affirmation of human ingenuity and creativity: all those programmers, each imbued with a great idea, beavering away writing code.
We knew to expect the unexpected, but even so, the exciting hybrids that grew from these collaborations surprised us with their ingenuity and diversity.
His award was hailed by music critics who contrasted the ingenuity of the Ziggy Stardust singer to the Radio 2-friendly crop of younger male stars.
Increasingly, they defended with a five-man back line, with two anchormen just in front, relying on breakaways through the pace of Vardy or the ingenuity of David Nugent when he came on.
