Any promos might show two young men in wheelchairs. But director Damien O’Donnell insists that his new movie, “Rory O’Shea Was Here” (rated R), is “not a film about disabilities. It’s a film about two individuals who go on this journey, make their own mistakes and seek liberation in their lives.”
Lead character Rory, who has muscular dystrophy, moves into a residential home and befriends Michael, who has cerebral palsy. The two make a formidable pair: Rory is the only person who can understand what Michael says, and Michael delights in his new friend’s exuberance–practically the only thing that Michael can move is his mouth, and he does so loudly, joyously and profanely. Together, the two struggle to live independently.
Rory is engaging with his spiky hair and wicked grin, and Michael is adorable with big blue eyes that shine with hope–the kind of features you might notice in an ordinary person crossing your path. And ordinary is what O’Donnell was aiming for.
“We wanted to avoid the `supercripple,’ as people in the disability community would call it–where on the outside they’re constrained but on the inside they’re brilliant,” he says. “With these characters, one was [a jerk] and one was naive. The question became, How far do they have to go just to be able to be ordinary, to live the kind of lives others live? It’s about their struggle to blend into the world.”
“Rory O’Shea Was Here” opens Friday at area theaters (look for the Tribune’s review in this week’s Friday section).