My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance for the ages in this film based on DOWN ALL THE DAYS, the autobiography of Christy Brown, who overcame severe physical limitations to become an accomplished painter and writer. The film describes the astounding arc of Brown's life, starting with a childhood in which his debilitating cerebral palsy causes everyone but his mother to believe he is brain-damaged. Brown begins to shatter this perception by using his left foot and a piece of chalk to scrawl a one-word message on the floor to his mother.

Though Brown's subsequent growth into an artist of great profundi...
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ty is nothing short of miraculous, he is never presented in the film as anything more nor less than human. Director Jim Sheridan contributes to a fully three-dimensional portrait of the artist by showing such things as Brown playing soccer with his brothers, experiencing the sting of unrequited love, and battling alcoholism. Day-Lewis, in an Academy Award-winning performance, brilliantly captures the wicked genius of Brown's mind as he observes the tone and timbre of his local Ireland with courage and determination. His physical characterization of Brown's condition, portrayed with remarkably little sentimentality, is absolutely astounding. A first-rate ensemble cast includes Hugh O'Connor as young Christy and Brenda Fricker (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar) and Ray McAnally as his devoted parents.
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An alternative to the general run of "triumph over the odds" biopics, My Left Foot is the true story of Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown. Paralyzed from birth, Brown (played by Hugh O'Conor as child and Daniel Day-Lewis as an adult) is written off as retarded and helpless. But Christy's indomitable mother (Brenda Fricker) never gives up on the boy. Using his left foot, the only part of his body not afflicted, Brown learns to write. He grows up to become a well-known author, painter, and fundraiser, and along the way falls in love with nurse Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe). There's no sugarcoating in My Left Foot...
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: Brown, a heavy drinker, was by no means lovable. Day-Lewis and Fricker both won Academy Awards for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also notable are the late Ray McAnally in his next-to-last film role as Christy's father, and venerable Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland. Director Jim Sheridan co-scripted with Shane Connaughton from Christy Brown's autobiography.
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Christy Brown is een spastische jongen en komt uit een groot en arm Iers gezin. Zijn moeder ziet zijn intelligentie en menselijkheid terwijl anderen hem voor gek verslijten. Christy heeft alleen controle over zijn linkervoet. Met veel doorzettingsvermogen wordt hij uiteindelijk een gewaardeerde schilder, dichter en schrijver.

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