| Film
O’Shea Pulls Life From Big Screen
By Stephen Hintz
 Have
you ever been lulled into thinking that you are a victim of your circumstances…powerless
to change the fate that has been handed you…content to just turn the wheels
and watch as life moves all around you because you don’t feel like that
living stuff is meant for you?
Well, get up off your ass.
This is what fast-talkin’ Rory O’Shea would tell ya.
Rory O’Shea Was Here, the most recent output by Irish director
Damien O’Donnell, is a wild life ride taken on motorized wheelchairs. It’s
a hard gut flick guaranteed to make you appreciate what you’ve been given.
Structurally, the story of Rory is a traditional tale of tough
guy-soft guy-cadillac girl. The mundane life of Michael Connelly (Steven
Robertson) at an Irish convalescent home is thoroughly interrupted when
Rory (James McAvoy) moves in to shake up the joint. The kind-hearted, but
rough-edged rabble-rouser takes to quiet Michael. The newcomer is one of
the few persons who can understand his speech, slurred by cerebral palsy.
Led by Rory, the pair decide to strike off on their own and discover the
world outside the confines of the care center, a physically nurturing but
soul-suffocating place.
The film’s second "act" takes the pair on a new adventure into a fantastic
universe far outside of the institution’s safe walls. They discover a harsh
reality of paying bills, up-and-down emotions and the remaining need for
dependence because of their physical limitations. Yet on the other hand,
the new lifestyle is exhilarating and ultimately the challenge of their
lifetimes, since the two are stuck with each other. But their freedom remains
a goal, since life in the home was boring the two young men to a slow death.
 Just
because their mobility is impaired, doesn’t mean that they don’t desire
the spontaneity that motivates and inspires. They hire a live-in attendant,
the beautiful, quick-witted Siobhan (Romola Garai), and she becomes the
men’s reality check. As they battle for her affections, they are unknowingly
pushed closer to their dream of independence and liberation. Michael and
Rory properly realize their blessings. They rightly turn around to set
us up for the final act, in which the lessons they’ve learned throughout
the film are explosions of growth...and rebirth.
O’Donnell’s film rarely is emotionally predictable until the end when
a few sappy lines about "always being pals" sneak their way into the script,
maybe made to produce the few requisite tears.
The film in its totality, however, is so unconventionally subtle that
viewers can legitimately be both intrigued and impressed by the handling
of what could be sensitive material focusing around Michael and Rory’s
disabilities. Director O’Donnell certainly doesn’t let political correctness
interfere with his push of the story line.
The quick and witty dialog, as well as the development of some very
interesting characters who rock their surroundings, make the world seem
reasonable and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to find out what kind of
response the rest of the world will give to this well-written, well-directed
film.
 
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