''Kenny'' (also known as ''The Kid Brother'') is a 1988 film featuring

Kenny Easterday Kenneth Easterday (December 7, 1973 – February 12, 2016) was an American man born with the rare disability, Caudal regression syndrome, sacral agenesis. To improve his mobility, his legs were amputated at the hip when he was six months old. Li ...

in a semi-autobiographical role.

Plot

The film follows how 13-year-old Kenny, his family and neighborhood deal with the intrusion of a French-speaking

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

crew filming a documentary about Kenny's adaptation to his unusual congenital condition, the absence of his pelvis and legs. It was filmed in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

suburb of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States.

Cast

as Kenny *

Caitlin Clarke Caitlin Clarke (born Katherine Anne Clarke, May 3, 1952 – September 9, 2004) was an American theater and film actress best known for her role as Valerian in the 1981 fantasy film ''Dragonslayer (1981 film), Dragonslayer'' and for her role ...

as Sharon *

Liane Curtis Liane Alexandra Curtis (born July 11, 1965) is an American film and television actress and musician, known for her appearances in B movies as '' Critters 2: The Main Course'' and '' Girlfriend from Hell'', as well as smaller roles in films such a ...

as Sharon Kay *

Zach Grenier Zach Grenier is an American character actor of film, television and stage. He is best known for his roles in films such as '' Fight Club'', ''Tommy Boy'', and '' Twister'' and for his roles in television such as David Lee in '' The Good Wife'' a ...

as Jesse *Jesse Easterday, Jr. as Eddy *

Bingo O'Malley Bingo O'Malley (May 10, 1933 - June 2, 2019) was an American actor. He has been called "Pittsburgh’s finest actor." Biography O'Malley never revealed his birth name. He initially aspired to the priesthood but found that "I am not religious." ...

as Mr. Nilan

Awards and nominations

''Kenny'' won the Special Jury Prize at the

Paris Film Festival The Festival du Film de Paris, also known as Paris Film Festival, was a film festival held annually in Paris, France. It was launched in 1986 as a youth-oriented festival. In 2002, the municipal government withdrew funding and began Festival Paris ...

(1988), Grand Prix des Amériques at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

(1987), and UNICEF Award - Honorable Mention and C.I.F.E.J. Award at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

(1988).

References

External links

* 1980s teen drama films 1988 films American teen drama films 1980s English-language films Films about amputees Films about brothers Films about children Films about disability Films about families Films about runaways Films about siblings Films set in Pittsburgh Films directed by Claude Gagnon 1980s American films {{1980s-drama-film-stub