Inside I'm Dancing is a deeply moving story about a disabled pair who are dedicated to life and, despite being in wheelchairs, obsessed with the idea to live as normally as possible.

Michael is 24 years old and suffers from cerebral palsy. He's living in Carrigmore Home for Disabled - "a special home for special people," as it is called by the staff. He knows absolutely nothing about the world outside. What's more he's spending time on his own, due to a speech impediment, which is difficult to understand. He is tired of being treated as unimportant, but that is about to change when he meets Rory O'Shea, who has muscular dystrophy. Rory's life expectancy is halved, due to his illness, so he's determined to live it twice as fast. Also, he's the only one who perfectly understands Michael's language. They make a great pair, Michael as the one who does the "thinking part" and Rory who is responsible for talking.

Eventually, they move out of Carrigmore when granted permission to live on their own. Very soon they meet Siobhan (Romola Garai), who agrees to take care of them and who introduces them to love/hate relationships, as well as all kind of emotions they'd never experienced.

Damien O'Donnell's movie shows us not only the world of disabled people, but also the meaning of friendship and a taste of that will to live like others and battle for individual freedom. Its atmosphere is similar to Rain Man, but this picture is much more dynamic. Balancing between drama and comedy, it talks about difficult problems in a powerful and original way.

Special attention should be given to the performances of James McAvoy and Steven Robertson. They can be described as absolutely marvellous. Moving only few parts of their bodies - mainly fingers - they make a strong impact on viewers.

"It will all end in tears," says the Carrigmore director. And yet...

This emotional story shows us a part of the world that exists just next to us, lying in a deep shadow, as something that we're ashamed, or afraid, of. O'Donnell demonstrates quite provocatively how helpless disabled people can be, and yet, on the other hand, how many things they can tell us if we let ourselves listen.

The greatest achievement of Inside I'm Dancing is that it changes our way of thinking. We share the same emotions, the film says, the same will to live life fully in every aspect. The one and only thing we do not share is the wheelchair and the pain.