My Left Foot tells the true story of Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and could only control one limb – his left foot. Despite his difficulties Christy became a great artist, eventually writing a book on his experiences.
Daniel Day-Lewis portrays Christy incredibly effectively, immersing himself fully in the role. It’s an impressive performance that is totally believable. Clearly Day-Lewis put a lot of research into the role to realistically recreate the condition on screen. You can see him develop throughout the film, from an invalid to an almost fully functioning individual, eventually even finding love. His happy moments and his lows are well portrayed, giving a complete picture of the man even within the short timeframe. His Best Actor Oscar seems completely deserved.
Christy’s relationship with his family is a key focus of the film. His compassionate, strong willed mother, who always believes in her son as portrayed heartwarmingly by an Oscar-winning Brenda Fricker gives the film a sweet note in its early moments. His alcoholic, often abusive, stereotypically Irish father, who beneath it all has a good heart, feels a bit over the top at times but Ray McAnally is somehow able to make him seem genuine.
The framing device used throughout the film is a little strange, centering on an event promoting Christy’s book, where he met his wife, Mary. At times it feels a little oddly inserted into the film, as Mary reads the book being constantly flirted with by Christy. While it pays off in the end, it is a bit of a slow build, one that doesn’t feel totally necessary to the plot.
The special features aren’t particularly interesting, almost being non-existent. You get biographies of the main cast and Brown himself, which are just typed up with the information being readily available on Wikipedia. The other feature is a gallery of production images, again not very exciting.
Overall Verdict: An inspiring film that shows a man’s greatness isn’t defined by their limitations
Special Features:
Biographies of the cast and Christy Brown
Gallery
Reviewer: Matt Mallinson