My Left Foot is an autobiography written by Christy Brown when he was facing some severe family tragedy. The story was made into a movie cataloguing the life of an Irish painter, author, and poet, Christy Brown, directed by Jim Sheridan. The movie follows the story of a brown boy born with brain paralysis who could monitor only his left foot. This movie switches back and forth between his adult life and his life growing up. The movie focuses on how he adjusted to cerebral paralysis, overcame his illness and poverty, and used his left foot to become an accomplished writer and artist. It also touches on the particular aspects of life that are common to us, like relationships, love, depression, poverty, and alcoholism.

Daniel Day-Lewis played the part in the adult version, and Hugh O’Connor played the younger version in this movie. These two actors combine Christy’s life into a seamless, beautiful, and stunning performance. He was born into a large family with multiple brothers and sisters in a Dublin slum. In the first scenes, the movie shows the love and support of his family, especially his mother. In his early stages, he had difficulties communicating with his family and neighbors. It was seen that when his other brothers and sisters were trying to solve math problems, Christy tried to help his brothers with his left foot by answering the math questions on the floor. His family interrupts his writing because of his weird behavior. Mr. Brown pulls the crack off his left foot and instructs his mother and siblings not to fill Christy’s head with false hope since he is paralyzed. His father was a short-tempered and alcoholic person. One day, Christy’s mother fell down the stairs while working at home, and Christy was the only person to see it. He could alert some of his neighbors and call them for assistance. Christy’s father, who never thought Christy would do anything, began to be proud after witnessing him using his left foot, the only part of his body he could control fully, to write “mother” with a piece of chalk. 

As he aged, he began to paint and write to express his emotions. Though he did not get any education, he watched, listened, and learned what might help him with his life work. In the movie, we can see some of his extraordinary work. As the day passed, he was growing. When he was a teenager, he realized he was different from others. That made him introverted despite his brother’s every effort to include him in everyday activities. In one scene, Christy plays in a football match as a goalkeeper and participates in a "turn the bottle" game. Therefore, it made him greatly disappointed and led him to envisage suicide. 

Christy’s life as a man was not easy. He was egotistical. From the first time he tasted whiskey, he knew there was at least a way out of his cage. Like all other men, he needed love. There is a heartbreaking sequence in which he develops a crush on a physiotherapist, Eileen Cole, who works with him on speech therapy. Eileen also loves Christy, not in the romantic way he imagines, but as a doctor who loves his patient. When he learns about her engagement, he creates an almost insupportable restaurant scene. This scene describes his pain and anger, which was unbearable for him. He drank even more, and he was asking for it. Later, a woman finally entered his life, a nurse named Marry Carr, who became his wife and loved him up to the end. At that time, Christy had to be glad because he was an alcoholic. Since he could not drink it alone, it had to be brought and given to him. It is tempting to believe that he was shut off from his loved ones.

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IMDb: ★ 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 🍅98% 🍿92%

Digest Knowledge: ★★★★☆ 4/5

My Left Foot is a great movie to watch for many reasons. Mostly, the story is all that counts. However, the actors’ cinematography and lively acting make it more exhilarating. It is an inspirational movie. We have seen difficulties and sorrows in Christy Brown’s life. However, he was still able to overcome those and become an iconic person. This might be a motivational movie for teenagers around the world. There are a few fights in the movie, but there is no bloodshed. There was a ten-or twenty-second scene where children talked about sex. There was a little bit of nudity and excessive drinking. I think this may be an issue. Apart from that, we can also see the support of his family and neighbors. Even if we skip that part, it remains extraordinary, making it suitable for teenagers and adults. Therefore, I will recommend this movie, My Left Foot, to those over sixteen.

 Film Credit  

My Left Foot (1989)

Directed by: Jim Sheridan

Written by: Christy Brown, Shane Connaughton, Jim Sheridan

Starring:

• Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown

• Brenda Fricker as Mrs. Brown

• Fiona Shaw as Dr. Eileen Joyce

• Alison Whelan as Sheila

• Ray McAnally as Mr. Brown

• Declan Croghan as Tom

• Marie Conmee as Sadie

• Phelim Drew as Brian

• Cyril Cusack as Father Noel

• Eamon Keane as Father Walsh

• Ruth McCabe as Mrs. Walker

Produced by: Noel Pearson, David Puttnam

Executive Producer: Arthur Cox, Michael Fitzgerald, Michael O’Doherty

Cinematography: Billy Williams

Editing: Terry Rawlings

Music by: Trevor Jones

Casting by: Mary Rae

Production Design: Jim Clay

Costume Design: Eithne Fennell

Makeup: Sally Hayes

Special Effect: John Stephenson

Stunt: Peter Diamond

Sound Design: John O'Connell

Based on the Book: My Left Foot by Christy Brown

Distributed by: Miramax Films