Posted: 02/08/2005

Rory O’Shea Was Here

(2005)

by Hank Yuloff

Hank’s first vote for Top Ten of 2005.

In 1989 I was too young to appreciate the grit and determination shown in My Left Foot. I did not see it until several years later and loved the movie.

In 2003 I saw The Event, a small, marketing-forgotten flick that I felt was the most significant film of the year. It that dealt with a man with AIDS taking his own life instead of waiting for death to creep slowly upon him. I sent an urgent e-mail to all my friends telling them that if they did not see it quickly, they would miss a true opportunity to see a story that would make you feel it.

It’s February 2005 and I am sending another of those e-mails.

Go see Rory O’Shea Was Here (British title: Inside I’m Dancing). See it now because it may not have the marketing dollars behind it to keep it in the theaters very long but I can tell you it will be on my top 5 for the year and I see a LOT of films.

The description will sound like a downer. Rory O’Shea suffers from a form of MS that kills over 90% of its victims before their 21st birthday and is wheelchair bound with only the use of 2 fingers on his right hand. This does not effect his outlook on life and he is one of those people that when they walk (or wheel) into a room, the energy changes completely. Because of his disease, he is forced to live in an institution where his needs can be looked after. The story is about his attempt to be considered by the system able to live on his own with the help of an aide.

Director Damien O’Donnell (What Where, Heartlands) said that in movie “pitches,” where those that want to make a movie tell those who can green light it what its about so they can get the money, he described it as One Flew Over My Left Foot.

As I watched the movie, both films came to mind, both in quality and story - where the protagonist is a man of unique abilities that he overcomes the system and physical challenges. Helping Rory in his quest is another patient, Michael Connolly who suffers from cerebral palsy. They are instantly drawn to each other because Rory can understand the most-times impossible speech that is common with cerebral palsy sufferers. The instant flash of recognition that appears in Connolly’s eyes when he realizes that O’Shea understands him (because he had a room mate in another facility that made Connolly seem like he was Laurence Olivier… Most people see people with Cerebral Palsy and think they have a mental disability. We can see that frustration Connolly lives with every day disappear when he is with O’Shea.

James McAvoy plays Rory. I had just last year seen him play Paul Bettany’s gambling-addicted brother in Wimbledon but did not recognize him as the same man. Newcomer Steven Robertson plays Connolly.

I almost hate to share this because it will take away from your enjoyment of the movie but during the movie I kept thinking that it was amazing that they found such a great actor with CP to play Connolly. Director O’Donnell told me that he did not have the disease and spent 6 weeks with people who did have it in order to train for the part. You will be blown away by his performance. He can not share his feelings easily with words, but his eyes are magnetic! You can not take your eyes from his. McAvoy, who also spent many weeks with an MS afflicted “coach” is also amazing but he has the power of speech to play with. Is it too early to choose an Oscar favorite for Best Supporting Actor of 2005? Here is my first entry.

The men actually do make it out on their own and find their completely inexperienced personal aide in an unusual way that I leave for you to discover on your own. The aide is played by Romola Garai. She was the lead in Dirty Dancing 2, which I HATED and was also in Vanity Fair, which I tolerated. She is wonderful in this movie and her abilities show she is now able to take parts in better movies already! She is very reminiscent of Drew Barrymore but with a less crooked smile.

This is a deeply moving film. It is not necessarily the raising of public awareness that drew O’Donnell to the project but it was, he said, “a wonderful relationship story and a voyage of discovery.” Take your own voyage. And take it quickly to see Rory O’Shea Was Here. You may not see a better film in 2005.

Hank Yuloff is our senior staff reviewer in Los Angeles.

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