| Film
Fighting the System from the Inside: Rory O’Shea Was
Here.
New film by Irish filmmaker O’Donnell mixes the
tragedy of reality with the dreaming spirit of comedy.
By Nick Michalski
"Are you really alive?" The late Jim Morrison asked that question, and
so does Rory O’Shea Was Here, the latest film by Dublin-born Damien
O’Donnell. The new movie follows the life of Michael Connolly (Steven
Robertson), a young man stricken with cerebral palsy.
When his world of routines at the Carrigmore Residential Home ("A Special
Home for Special People") is invaded by the spunky, loud-mouthed Rory O’Shea
(James McAvoy), Michael panics at first. But Rory, suffering from muscular
dystrophy, becomes an ear for the almost incomprehensible speech of Michael.
As the two become fast friends, the rebellious Rory shows Michael a world
he never knew existed.
Rory O’Shea Was Here blends an emotionally-stirring realism with
flights of comic fancy. The film’s dramatic core revolves around the trials
and tribulations that Michael and Rory endure on a daily basis, from the
need for help to take a shower to the limits of wheelchair access as they
attempt to get free of Carrigmore.
United by their alienation and isolation from the "normal" world, Michael
and Rory form a strong bond which serves them well in tackling the hurdles
that life has placed at their feet. "If you’re alive, shout!" Rory screams,
waking Michael up from his sleepy existence at the care facility. Rory
teaches Michael a lesson in existentialism over the course of the film,
encouraging him to take advantage of the opportunities available to him
despite his disability.
 After
breaking free of the reach of the Nurse Ratchett-like Eileen (Brenda Fricker),
the pair become involved with a beautiful young woman, Siobhan (Romola
Garai), who agrees to help them manage in an independent living situation.
So begins the true test for Michael: can he accept the pain associated
with living life with all of his being, or is it too much of a risk?
Possibly drawing inspiration from Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest, the film is a story of a young man finding out that he is his
own parachute in life. Acting as his interpreter, Rory shows Michael how
to be independent and determine his actions. Rory O’Shea Was Here is
definitely a funny movie, but what holds it together is a combination of
the genuinely heart-rending struggles of its main characters and the very
enthusiastic, believable performances by the three leads. Steven Robertson
is brilliant as Michael, who can hardly be understood by anyone besides
Rory.
In turn, James McAvoy is very effective as the rambunctious Rory, and
the two clearly have a strong on-screen chemistry. Romola Garai is great
as Siobhan, a young woman empathetic towards the two protagonists, but
unable to surrender her own independence. The simple fact that the film’s
two main characters are disabled and in wheelchairs makes Rory O’Shea
Was Here different from the average film because the protagonists are
not the typical "everyman" characters, and the actors handle their parts
admirably.
 Rory
O’Shea Was Here demonstrates that we can all live a little more courageously.
If Michael and Rory can handle living independently in a world that treats
them as second-class citizens, then the rest of us can surely live more
boldly to reach that next level of freedom. But while Rory teaches Michael
how to break down the barriers of society that prevent them from experiencing
the world, there is also a lesson in Rory O’Shea Was Here about
being there to help others in their times of need.
Michael and Rory help each other out in many ways, and Siobhan cares
for them lovingly. From the nurses at the Carrigmore Home who bathe and
nurture them to the relationships with their respective fathers, Michael
and Rory are not only striking out on their own but also find themselves
caught in a cycle of serving others on which everyone’s life depends.
If only the rest of us could live more freely with our dreams and accept
the inevitable pain which comes when making one’s heart vulnerable to love.
Rory O’Shea makes its mark, will you?
 
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