2. My Left Foot (1989)
My left foot! My left foot! Always be better than the right foot! I apologise, but every time I think of My Left Foot I think of Stewie's stage version in Family Guy. In reality, the film version of My Left Foot deals with the plight of real life Christy Brown who was born with severe cerebral palsy. He is sort of written off as a hopeless cause when he is a child but when his mother has a heart attack and Christy is the only person at home, he is able to get help for his mother. Due to this, his father becomes more interested in him. Christy can only control his left foot and he can use chalk with his toes to communicate. He begins painting and hangs around with the local girls. Unfortunately serious tragedy blights Christy and his family's life. He faces hard times and rejections but proves to be a trooper and rises to victory at the end. Daniel Day Lewis gives an Oscar winning performance as Christy Brown and Brenda Fricker was awarded a Oscar for her role as Bridget Fricker - Christy's mother. Lewis's portrayal of such a severely handicapped man is extraordinary. He does not play him in a cloying "look at how well the crippled person can do" kind of way - which would be patronising to disabled people. He portrays a complex man who is sometimes very arrogant, has a foul mouth and enjoys a piss up. Lewis shows the man as he is and that is what makes his performance so astonishingly good. Hugh O'Connor as the young Christy Brown deserves as many plaudits as Lewis. The film kickstarted a new era in Irish film making, dominated by the likes of Stephen Frears, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan. All powerful directors with their own unique approach to Ireland and Irish cinema.