© 2013 Miramax
Directed by Jim Sheridan/ Written by Shane Connaughton, Jim Sheridan
Based on My Left Foot by Christy Brown
This film is based on Christy Brown’s autobiography My Left Foot. It portrays the story of Brown, an Irish writer and painter – he was born with severe cerebral palsy so his entire body except his left foot was paralyzed but he eventually became a reputable writer through his writings and paintings. During his early days, his father and other twelve siblings saw Christy as retarded but his mother at least didn’t give up teaching him to write. One day, he put a chalk in between his big toe and second toe and fell over himself to write a word: MOTHER. Since then, his entire family accepted him as a member of the family and spared no effort to encourage and support him to blossom his talent. Although he experienced severe frustration and pain that he once decided to kill himself, his family always stayed beside him. In the end, he received a huge reputation as a writer. A young Christy Brown could learn to write a word because his mother undoubtedly trusted and loved him. Even when he faced frustration and pain, his mother and other family members were with him at all times. By fighting and overcoming his pain, Christy was in a sense, reborn. What made him overcome his physical disability that everyone regarded impossible to overcome was the love and faith of his family. This was also the reason for his determination to fight against his pain and frustration.
© 2013 Miramax
Being able to stand on your feet again by overcoming your ‘disability’, that is your limitation, and accomplishing some impossible task is possible in the presence of love and faith. You don’t need to limit it to only your family or specify whose love and faith it must be. Wouldn’t the fact that you exist and the world exists be the endless love of the world? Love that the world gives is bigger than any mother’s love and faith of the world itself is nobler than any other faith in the world. The fact that you are breathing and living in this world at the moment would already be a miracle and it is definitely love that is immeasurable. “The self” always confines you by endlessly creating limitations and doubts with all sorts of pain and tribulations. When going beyond that self and seeing the world, heartily understanding the unconditional love and faith that the world always gives, another miracle will come along.
