Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis brings an unmatched level of believability to his roles. Despite knowing of him for as long as I can remember, I hadn’t had the pleasure of experiencing one of his films until recently. The 1989 biographical film My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown stars Day-Lewis in the titular role. Born to a lower class family in Ireland, real-life artist Christy Brown faces the hardships brought upon him by cerebral palsy, a movement disorder that paralyzes nearly all of his body—except for his left foot. The anachronistic narrative flows between Brown’s upbringing and the moments leading up to his later award.
Due to the nature of Brown’s disorder, Day-Lewis can not portray his role in any traditional way. An actor’s primary tools are their voice, body language, facial expression, and movement. Of these, Day-Lewis can only really work with facial expressions, and with a minimal variety at that. So, on top of the insurmountable task of portraying a disorder entirely foreign to his own life experience, Day-Lewis must also convey the film’s emotional beats through a very limited set of acting tools. One might think it impossible for a man to fulfill all these requirements in a satisfying, appropriate, and respectful manner—yet Daniel Day-Lewis pulls it off in an unimaginable flourish. He uses Brown’s eyes as a window into his thoughts and visceral emotions. Expertly highlighted by director Jim Sheridan, Brown’s eyes are perfectly framed in nearly every scene, giving the audience the best possible view into Day-Lewis’ intricate facial acting. Joy, pain, sarcasm, hopefulness, despair; a variety of heavy feelings live through Christy Brown’s eyes. By the film’s midpoint, a doctor begins to assist our protagonist in the development of his speech. His slow yet triumphant progression is portrayed excellently, especially with the intercut time periods revealing how much progress he makes by the end of the story.
Christy Brown’s story is triumphant and inspiring, and without a legendary performance from an all-time great, it may have never made it to screen. The magic of this performance does not in fact come from the convincing and respectful portrayal of the disorder. As Daniel Day-Lewis understands, Christy Brown was first and foremost witty, brash, cocky, loving, and emotionally diverse. Only an actor who truly empathizes with the role can develop these layers in such an intricate, meticulous way.
In the world of today, a performance of this kind would certainly have its critics. A more socially aware society might frown upon the portrayal of Christy Brown, viewing it as a mocking of sorts or a caricature of an entire group of people. While my position on the situation does not matter as much as those represented by the characters in the film, I’m still of the opinion that the artist behind acting performances should be absolved of any guilt; so long as they approach their roles with respect and dignity. I truly believe that in this instance, Daniel Day-Lewis accomplished just that.