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An Online Magazine for Learners of English Movies We Have Enjoyed Seeing My Left Foot Reviewed by Hasanuddin Rachman from Indonesia Staff Photo I heard this film was based on a true story, and I'm not surprised that the actors won awards.   Director: Jim Sheridan Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis .......... Christy Brown (child)            Hugh O' Conor ........... Christy Brown (child)            Brenda Fricker .............Mrs. Brown            Ray McAnally ............. Mr. Brown Type: Drama Country/Date: Ireland/UK This film undoubtedly succeeds in expressing various realities of human life. The first scene shows a poor environment with a low standard of living. When a baby is born, the father is unhappy and can't accept the fact that his baby is likely abnormal. As a matter of fact, that baby whose name is Christy later grew up to become a cripple. Christy, whose childhood is full of struggles, has a desire to live as a normal child. Fortunately, the people around him--especially his mother, siblings, and neighbors—always support him, except for his father. Able only to control movement in his left foot and to speak in unclear sounds, he makes an effort to participate and be involved in his family's and friend's activities. This touched me. One day, he succeeds in proving that he can write the word "mother" with his left foot. When this happened, Christy ended his struggle to get recognition, especially from his father, that he's one of the Brown family. The story continues to tell, through flashbacks, about Christy's struggle for recognition and hows how he became a brilliant painter, poet, and author. Christy has a feeling about love. He falls in love with his teacher, who is encouraging him to face the difficulties of his handicap and change to be someone whose expertise expresses his inner talent. I believe whoever sees this film will be touched. Seeing this film, we have to realize how lucky we are. Christy's life is a good example for everyone who believes that there is never an end to struggle. I heard this film was based on a true story, and I'm not surprised that the actors won awards. Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy won the Oscar in 1989 for Best Actor and Brenda Fricker won Best Supporting Actress as Brown's mother. The casting is unbelievably good. Both actor who played Christy—Hugh O 'Conor as little Christy and Daniel Day-Lewis as adult Christy—succeed in perfectly characterizing a person who has a crippling cerebral palsy. I admired them. Last, but not least, the only way to find out if what I've written is true is to see this film. Return to: Movies and Books | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2008 topics mag@yahoo.com Published by Sandy and Thomas Peters