My Left Foot: The Story Of Christy Brown (1989)
This extraordinary film about the extraordinary artist, Christy Brown, took the world by storm in 1989 – winning lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis his first Academy Award, as well as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Brenda Fricker. Based on Brown’s autobiography, the story details his life growing up in a poverty-stricken Irish family. Having been born with cerebral palsy, Brown had control over only his left foot and, as he grew older, began to use that foot to create the most striking works of art.
The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of Jim Sheridan (Get Rich Or Die Tryin’), and it brought him his own Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay – which he shared with co-writer Shane Connaughton (Tara Road). Framing the narrative within the writing and publication of the book that the film is based upon, we gain gripping insight into the development of this artist, the struggles of his family to support his ambitions, and his own frustrations.
Published: Oct 21, 2014 10:56 pm