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| RORY O'SHEA WAS HERE (2004) | |
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Living without anyone being able to understand what one is saying might be very difficult, but if one never has had anyone understand them it’s all one expects out of life.
This is the case for Michael Connolly (Steven Robertson) who suffers from cerebral palsy, which gives him the inability to control the movement of his muscles.
However, through decades of training he has developed some movements, even though it is extremely difficult for him to control the movement.
At Carrigmore - A Home for Special People Michael has learned to communicate through slowly pointing on an alphabet board, but it is a very tedious accomplishment even when it comes to expressing a few words.
But it is all he knows, the life within Carrigmore.
Damien O'Donnell, a name some might recognize from films such as Heartlands (2002) and East is East (1999), has created a poignant film about two young men that both are wheelchair bound. In addition to Michael, the rebellious Rory O'Shea (James McAvoy) has just arrived to the Carrigmore where he quickly makes himself known as a troublemaker. However, he has one unique gift, he can understand what Michael is saying. Michael for the first time experiences what chatting is about and feels ecstatic about this, to most trivial, but to him a precious and extraordinary event. They quickly become friends, as Michael has no one else to talk to and Rory has no one that listens to him. Rory takes it on himself to teach Michael about life outside Carrigmore of which he is completely unaware. For the first time he got to drink alcohol and feel the rouse of drunkenness along with the warm touch of a woman's kiss. There are many firsts for Michael, who for the first time gets to experience life and the freedom that life can bring while outside an institutional setting with the constant attention and rules. Blissful Michael embraces what he learns from Rory, as he also learns that they can apply for independent living. Rory O'Shea Was Here delivers different views of life than what the brilliant The Sea Inside (2004) does which deals with a quadriplegic that desires to end his life. Here the main character strives to experience life, as all he has known is the restricted life within an institution. The major difference is with the protagonist in The Sea Inside, as he had lived life to the fullest before his life was suddenly snatched away through a tragic accident after which he lived in a bed for decades. The difference can be experienced through Michael who vividly experiences the smallest changes as great adventures. Well, I cannot judge one or the other; it is their life and their life to live. However, it is a very positive feeling that arouses when one can observe Michael learn new simple things in life. One thing that O'Donnell considers in his film is that life is not always pleasant, which he also addresses through a couple of riveting scenes. It is through the pain of these experiences that Michael and Rory feel where the audience will connect in a more humane manner, as he finds a way to persist. In addition, the performances by Steven Robertson and James McAvoy are remarkable, as they help make the film feel even more genuine. Ultimately, the audience will have gone through an emotional roller coaster that will have pulled and yanked the viewer in all different directions, which leaves with a few notions to ponder in regards to quality of life. |
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| Damien O'Donnell | |
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UK / Ireland / France |
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| REVIEWED | |
| BY KIM ANEHALL – 6/30/2005 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
