[Ruby Hornet will be attending the 49th Chicago International Film Festival from 10/10 – 10/24. Be sure to follow along as we bring you coverage from the longest-running competitive international film festival in the country. You can find all of our coverage from this year’s CIFF here.]
Life Feels Good
Director: Maciej Pieprzyca
Country: Poland
CIFF Screening: October 20, 2013 (11:45am)
[youtube id=”vY9YANQYcho” mode=”normal” align=”center”]
Life Feels Good is based on a true story of a Polish man, Mateusz, born with cerebral palsy, that was was diagnosed as mentally disable at a young age. However, the diagnosis is far from the truth. The film uses Mateusz’s internal dialogue to set certain scenes, oftentimes resulting in the complete opposite of what he was striving for. When he is sent to a disabled center due to the growing age of his caring Mother, Mateusz finds a chance to prove that he is, in fact, an intellectual man unfortunately held back by his body.
First and foremost, David Ogrodnik, an able-bodied actor, portrays Mateusz magnificently for the majority of the film. Physical acting is so hard to do, even more so when depicting somebody with a physical disability. However, Ogrodnik captures the real Mateusz’s nuances and physical characteristics to a T. The film’s primary theme of communication is heartbreaking; I can’t even fathom to imagine being unable to communicate due to circumstances out of my control. You can’t help but feel for Mateusz as he struggles to simply express that he’s more than just a vegetable. Writer/director Maciej Pieprzyca’s poignant film is a stirring, sentimental, and sensational look at the struggle those afflicted with physical disabilities face.
Score: 
8.5 out of 10