My Left Foot

There are actors that disappear into their roles and then there is Daniel Day-Lewis. To say he disappears into a role would be an understatement and would do him a great disservice. He becomes the role. When he played Abraham Lincoln in Spielberg’s film Lincoln it might as well have been the president himself it was done so well. His character of Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York was something else entirely as was his performance as Hawkeye in Last of the Mohicans. Daniel Day-Lewis is arguablythe most talented thespian on screen and it’s a shame he so infrequently acts anymore. As great as those previously mentioned roles are, though, they are nothing compared to his performance as Christy Brown, a young man born with cerebral palsy who only has control over his left foot. Daniel Day-Lewis is completely unrecognizable in this part and is 100% convincing as a man with this severe handicap who finds a passion for art and finds a way to pursue it despite his extreme limitations. 

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown originated as an autobiographical novel and memoir of Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), one of the many children born to his working class parents in Dublin. Christy was born with cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or talk clearly but is loved and supported by his parents, especially his mother who stays at home and takes care of him. His siblings also support him and include him in the street games they play with the neighborhood kids. Initially he is thought to be mentally handicapped, too, but that is dispelled when, utilizing his only functional limb, his left foot, he writes the word Mother on the floor with a piece of chalk.

Christy soon channels his abilities into art, using his foot to hold a paint brush. But writing and drawing aren’t enough for him and he paints a picture for a girl he likes. Embarrassed by the gesture she gives it back to him, crushing him. Later, his is introduced to Eileen Cole (Fiona Shaw), a specialist who works in a special school for cerebral palsy patients. She persuades a friend of hers to hold an exhibition of Christy’s work which ends up being a success. Christy falls in love with her but is enraged when he finds out she is engaged to be married. After his father (Ray McAnally) dies suddenly from a stroke, Christy starts writing his autobiography, the book this film is based on. 

There are certain plot points that I generally expect to see when dealing with a film about someone with an extreme physical disability like the one Christy Brown had. I have these expectations because of the many films I’ve seen over the years that have gone that route. I’ve also lived long enough to see these things in real life. I expect to see an angry parent who becomes bitter over being “cursed” with a handicapped child, maybe even leading to divorce or abandonment. I expect to see neighborhood bullies who will have to be dealt with by the siblings of the child, maybe even a kind hearted kid who becomes a good friend and protector. Fiction writers often go this route and it can feel stale and cliché. 

Whether any of that happened in real life, it isn’t depicted in the film. Christy’s parents are proud of him. When he shows an ability to write, his father picks him up and takes him down to the local pub to celebrate. Christy also has the support and love from a lot of siblings, many of which he has to share a room and bed with. These siblings are seen wheeling Christy around in a makeshift wheelbarrow, racing down the street and having a blast. This wheelbarrow will continue to be used for years until his mother is finally able to afford a proper wheelchair. They also go along with him when he devises a way to acquire some illicit coal during a time when their father loses his job and they cannot afford the fuel. 

All of that familial love is fine and all but he feels isolated and helpless because he cannot find romantic love. There is nothing wrong with his mind. It’s just trapped inside a body that is barely functional. He can see the beautiful women around him and feels that he will never be able to find one who loves him back. He falls instantly in love with a young woman who kisses him on the cheek when playing spin the bottle. But she doesn’t love him back and when she returns the painting he made for her he tears it up. Later, after working with Eileen Cole he will form a bond with her that he latches on to, but he loses it over her revelation that she only loves him platonically. It’s not until the end of the film that he will find someone who responds to his romantic needs, Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe), his handler and eventually his wife. 

I wish I didn’t know more of the real history beyond the ending of this movie because that would allow me to enjoy the happy ending that is presented here. Unfortunately I do know that their marriage was not a happy one. It was plagued with infidelities on her part as well as physical abuse. Knowing this makes the final moments of this film feel less life-affirming and more depressing. The real-life Christy Brown had long since died by the time this film was made so this stuff was known at the time but it was not addressed in the film. Perhaps that is for the best as it would have ended the movie on a real downer. For the casual viewer this will seem like a happily ever after ending and there is nothing wrong with that. The film The Theory of Everything took the same route when dealing with a very similar real life event. 

Ignoring the real world facts, this film becomes a movie about overcoming physical shortcomings and making the most out of the life you were given. Christy was up against tremendous obstacles, being unable to get around on his own, communicate properly, or even feed himself. Yet he found something he could do and excelled at it. There was nothing wrong with his mind and he was smart, just often frustrated with his inability to get that across at first. We see this when his siblings are trying to do math homework and the parents don’t understand the question, either. Christy tries to write out the answer with his foot and a piece of chalk but cannot draw it legibly enough to make what he is writing understood. This story is beautifully shot and brought to life by a convincing performance by its lead star. Matching him beat for beat is Brenda Fricker who plays his mother and long-time caregiver. Throughout the film you never doubt her love for her son nor the hardships being a working class family with a disabled child bring. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Noel Pearson

Best Director: Jim Sheridan

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (won)

Best Supporting Actress: Brenda Fricker (won)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Shane Connaughton and Jim Sheridan

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Release Date: February 24, 1989

Running Time: 103 Minutes

Rated R

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Cyril Cusack, Fiona Shaw, Hugh O’Conor, Adrian Dunbar, Ruth McCabe and Alison Whelan

Directed By: Jim Sheridan