Yes, I know what you're thinking, and yes I am on a Daniel Day-Lewis marathon. Believe it or not but I actually never heard of My Left Foot until about 5 months ago or so, and back then I thought "huh, that's a funny movie title.". I never gave it much thought after that until I went ahead and bought every movie Day-Lewis starred in, and yes that's why I'm always broke. Anyways, with Toto playing in the background, let's get on with this, shall we? My Left Foot is a biographical drama about Irish artist and author Christy Brown, who suffered from cerebral palsy.
Born into a working class family with a total of thirteen children, Christy suffered from a severe case of cerebral palsy and what deemed "useless" by his father. His mother (Brenda Fricker) on the other hand never gave up hope on him and cared for him to make life seem as normal as possible for him. It wasn't until at the age of ten years that his parents and siblings discover that he had complete control of his left foot when he wrote the word "mother" on the floor of their house with a piece of chalk.
The movie kicks off and we see Christy attending a charity event on his wheelchair, he is then taken in by a nurse named Mary Carr, who cares for him until they call him up to the podium. She picks up his book, titled My Left Foot, and autobiography of Christy's life and begins to read it, the movie then utilizes flashbacks to show us how Christy got to this point in his life.
I would like a take a moment of your time to ask to clap your hands until you can't clap anymore. Done? Okay, let's move on. This film deserves a round of applause before the opening credits start to roll. But why Ahmed? Could you please justify why I now need a pack of ice to soothe my aching palms? To put it simply, because of how mind-blowingly good this movie is. Very few movies have impacted me and further refined my taste in motion pictures, but every once in a while I sit through a movie and come out just a tad bit different than I was. My Left Foot inspired me, here I saw a man who broke the barriers of his overwhelming disability and followed his dreams and ambitions. It's a heartwarming matter that was conveyed to us in the form of an uplifting and outstanding motion picture.
There were times while I watching the film where I found myself pausing it multiple times, and taking a moment to absorb Daniel Day-Lewis' exceptional performance as Christy Brown. Day-Lewis blew me into next week with his acting, I've never seen an actor that deconstructs and penetrates the very fabric of the characters he's playing as well as he does. He makes you believe that he's the actual person. In preparation for this role, he spent eight weeks in a cerebral palsy clinic, learned to write and paint using his left foot, and used a wheelchair for the duration of the shoot. His extraordinary attention to detail and dedication to the role make him a method acting genius. Without an ounce of exaggeration, I believe he is the greatest actor who ever lived. He adds tension when needed and utilized his body language to express his feelings and emotions couldn't talk properly, all done of course in a flawless manner. I really got to know Christy Brown, his determination, his struggle for love, and his inner demons. Bravo, sir, Bravo.
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To sum up, My Left Foot is a complete powerhouse, it uses raw and honest acting to draw its audience in. We live in a time where the movie industry focuses on battle sequences and cheap laughs to keep the viewer interested, and while some may find this to be "awesome", I for one, am not a big fan.
Ahmed J. Almatrook
Ahmed J. Almatrook
