Darren McHugh Movies
- 1997
Set in 1958, this drama chronicles the raising of an Irish housewife's socio-political consciousness over a ten year period. Desiring a better life for her son, the unmarried Maureen crosses the border into Northern Ireland to live in the town of Bogside in Derry. There she marries the easy-going but traditional-minded Barry who seems to value her more for her child-bearing capability than her mind. At first she seems doomed to a life of household drudgery and dullness, but as time passes she becomes acquainted with several, strong-minded local women who open her eyes amidst the turmoil and strife of a changing Northern Ireland. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Dowling, Peter Mullan, (more)
In this drama from Ireland, a man looks back at his youth in the 1950s, when he grew into manhood in the wake of the War of Independence. Jimmy (Darren McHugh) and his best friend Willie (Joe Jeffers) are fairly typical teenagers who like rock and roll, comic books, and Mary (Joy Florish), a girl they've known since childhood. But while their lives are carefree, their families have some serious issues to deal with. Jimmy's folks, Arthur (Colin Lane) and Catherine (Marian Quinn), inherited a large parcel of land, but this inheritance has managed to put them deeply in debt; Arthur also refuses to make peace with the British and hates them with a passion. In addition, Arthur has long fought with Willie's Uncle Josie (Niall O'Brien); many years ago, Josie was Catherine's boyfriend, and neither Josie nor Arthur is willing to forget it. The feud grows from animosity into violence when Josie accuses Willie of stealing money from the local church. Broken Harvest features sequences in both Gaelic and English. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Lane, Niall O'Brien, (more)
The My Left Foot team of star Daniel Day-Lewis and director Jim Sheridan were reunited to make this political docudrama about Irish citizen Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis), who was wrongly convicted of taking part in an IRA bombing that killed five in Guildford, England in 1974. After a brutal interrogation forces him to sign a false confession, Gerry is sentenced to prison, his family is raked over the coals, and later his father Giuseppe (Pete Postelthwaite) is charged with being an accomplice and is also sent to prison where he lives out the last days of his life. Day-Lewis gives an outstanding performance as a man tormented by the injustice served him. Watch for Emma Thompson as the persevering lawyer who works for years, gathering evidence to clear Gerry's name. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, (more)
An alternative to the general run of "triumph over the odds" biopics, My Left Foot is the true story of Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown. Paralyzed from birth, Brown (played by Hugh O'Conor as child and Daniel Day-Lewis as an adult) is written off as retarded and helpless. But Christy's indomitable mother (Brenda Fricker) never gives up on the boy. Using his left foot, the only part of his body not afflicted, Brown learns to write. He grows up to become a well-known author, painter, and fundraiser, and along the way falls in love with nurse Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe). There's no sugarcoating in My Left Foot: Brown, a heavy drinker, was by no means lovable. Day-Lewis and Fricker both won Academy Awards for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also notable are the late Ray McAnally in his next-to-last film role as Christy's father, and venerable Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland. Director Jim Sheridan co-scripted with Shane Connaughton from Christy Brown's autobiography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, (more)
