Sound and Fury

Rating:
Summary: incredible glimpse into "deaf culture"
Review: This show begins when a fiesty five year-old deaf girl asks her deaf parents for cochlear implants, so that she can communicate better with her hearing friends. As a hearing person, it is difficult for me to imagine why any parent wouldn't leap at the opportunity for their child to experience sounds -- but the deaf parents, even though they are clearly bright & loving parents, are not at all eager "to implant" their child. In the end, they decide to move to a community with a large deaf population so their children can appreciate "deaf culture." The girl's father has hearing parents -- and the girl's paternal grandmother is a huge proponent of implants. Interestingly, the father's brother is married to a woman with two deaf parents. (So there are two brothers -- one deaf with a deaf family, one hearing with a hearing wife & deaf inlaws). The brother and his wife, both hearing, give birth to a deaf son, and despite protest from the deaf members of the family, they proceed with the cochlear implants. The decision causes a huge rift in the family. Even in the hospital, after the surgery, the baby's deaf grandmother asks her hearing daughter, with a look of disgust, whether she would implant again if she were to have another deaf child. Almost across the board, hearing folks supported the implants and deaf folks were staunchly opposed to the implants. It's as if the implants are a slap in the face to the deaf population and "deaf culture". One thing that came across from the deaf people depicted in this show is that deaf folks are almos proud of their deafness, and they are clearly proud of their beautiful, expressive language. They do not generally view their deafness as a disability, so they don't understand the need to cure or alter the condition. The deaf parents who elected against the implants come across as good, caring, loving parents -- in a way that is difficult for a hearing person to understand.

Rating:
Summary: very interesting
Review: This was a very interesting, thought-provoking movie. It takes you into the lives of several families, and the controversy over cochlear implants. It shows the difference in thought between hearing parents who have a deaf child, and deaf parents with a deaf child. Each has very valid thoughts and opinions. I found myself amazed and intrigued for the entire documentary. I highly recommend it.