My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown Reviews

To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Back then, I was much younger, I’m pretty sure it was the first movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis that I saw and the guy just blew me away with his talent and commitment. I have to confess, I had actually never heard of Christy Brown before and, without this movie, I’m pretty sure I would have never heard of the guy ever during my whole life. To be honest, it is actually a rather straightforward biopic but even though it was fairly predictable, the main character Christy Brown was just quite fascinating thanks to Day-Lewis who was at the top of his game. Eventually, he would take this great thespian surprisingly almost 20 years to win again another Academy Award for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role with his great performance in ‘There Will Be Blood’ and he will become the first male performer to win three awards for lead roles following ‘Lincoln’. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it was a fascinating drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

A heart warming movie about Christy Brown, a guy born with severe cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder which left him almost entirely spastic in his limbs, meaning that he can't use his both hands and rely entirely on his feet to write and paint.
Born in a working class family, a family with 7 kids and he's the only disabled one, his mom raise money for years to buy a wheelchair for him, the movie shows the family struggling through live and as daniel day lewis take the leading role, the movie is really enjoyable as he played the character in a way that no-one ever could, he makes the character shines through the movie, even though he can't talk or move his lips for along time or even control the down part of his face, Daniel achieved something so mesmerizing which was smiling with his eyes, something that nobody ever predicted.
Aside from the beautiful story, Brenda Fricker delivers an equally fantastic performances as his mom, the movie is so strong and so inspirational that its major mistake not to watch it.

A very inspirationally powerful film with an amazing lead actor to carry the brilliance of the film. Daniel Day-Lewis deserves every oscar he can get!

Christy Brown was an Irish painter and writer who was one of 14 surviving children of Irish catholic, Bridget Brown. Christy was born with severe cerebral palsy. Unable to move himself or speak, he was also presumed mentally disabled, despite this, his mother continued to speak and nurture him. He finally gained control over the movement of his left foot, upon discovering this, Bridget painstakingly taught Christy how to write and draw, using only his left foot. At the age of 19, he was given ground breaking muscle therapy, which earned him the power of speech.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, mainly to highlight the poignancy of a remarkable and harrowing true story. This isn't a yarn dreamt up by 50 writers in a board room. It is an autobiographical story, relaying the experiences of a man who has pushed the limit of human endeavour. Taking on this story for adaptation is a brave move in itself, it has to be dealt with sensitively and done well, lest they insult one of history's true geniuses. Luckily Jim Sheridan knew exactly who could play his lead role, without turning it into a farce.

I have always been a fan of Daniel Day-Lewis, renowned for his Oscar winning performances, but if you consider the level of discipline he adopted in portraying Christy Brown, you see why his shelves need reinforcing.

* DDL refused to leave the wheel chair in between takes.
* DDL often refused to break character for lunch, and had to be fed by his friends.
* He broke 2 ribs in his performance, due to his thrashing movements and slumped position in the wheelchair.

As a result you cannot fail to read a sense of frustration in every movement of his performance, from his futile suicide attempts to his heartbroken outbursts on platonic love. This film is by no means a one man show however, there are a number of remarkable performances, most notably that of Brenda Fricker as the long suffering Mrs Brown and the child actor Hugh O'Connor as young Christy, who out acts many adult professionals.




This is a beautiful film, which is only enhanced by the charming conventions of British cinema, which I so adore. Understated, subtle and social realist, yet by no means depressing. The occasional hi-jinks of the Brown boys, place intermittent moments of comic relief, which stop the film taking itself too seriously. I could not recommend this film more. Brilliant yarn, superbly acted, emotional roller coaster, reassuring and reaffirming.