My Left Foot (1989)

I just recently saw this movie and thought it was one of the best I have seen in a while. It is based on the true story of Christy Brown, an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and learns to write and paint using his left foot. Daniel Day-Lewis does an excellent job portraying Brown. He makes you forget you are watching a movie and makes you believe you are living with Christy Brown and going through everything he did. Brenda Fricker also does a good job as Brown's mother. Christy was born in the 1932 and everyone (including his family) treated him as not only physically disabled, but also mentally disabled. The majority of people then  - as now - don't really understand much about the different disabilities unless they are doctors or deal with it on a daily basis. There's a good scene where the whole Brown family is in their home and Christy starts using his left foot t pick up a piece and chalk and write the word "Mother" on the floor. After they see that poignant scene they now he is intelligent and both his family and community start to treat him as a person rather than a disease. You see Christy start to get the help he needs from a specialist and for him to try and find his own way in the world. His writings and paintings make him more "accessible" to the rest of the world and help others to start to understand him. It's sad to learn (the film doesn't tell you) that Brown died in 1981 and it is believed he was being abused by his wife. I don't know if he was actually abused or not, but regardless he died too young at 49. I have personally worked with people with cerebral palsy (along with those with other disabilities) and know full-well how intelligent and fun they can be despite (or maybe because of) their issues. This is the kind of movie that teaches you a message (to not judge a book by it's cover and to give those that are considered "different" a chance) but does so in a way that isn't thrown into your face.