Children of a Lesser God

Director Randa Haines lyrically tells a compelling story, nudging us to both understand the gift of hearing and also to consider the "gift" of deafness. The lively intelligence of the students at the deaf academy and the joy many seem to experience may not capture what life is like for those who can't afford the luxury of such an education, but Children of a Lesser God isn't a treatise on issues in the deaf world. The focus, however impractical, is on love and poetry and how people from different worlds can meet each other halfway if they try. Critics have viewed the film as an example of the wrong way to view deafness, as a disability to be "cured," and for omitting the views of a cohort of deaf people who don't want to be "mainstreamed." When Sarah does well at a gathering of hearing people, everyone praises James for how well she's doing, as if Sarah is a poodle only a hearing person could have trained so well.

William Hurt is magnetic here, pouring on the charm and winsomeness. He does so despite the fact that his job is also to keep us in the drama as he often speaks both halves of a dialogue, translating sign language to the audience. First-time screen actor Marlee Matlin is all the more impressive for standing up to Hurt's powerful performance. At 21 she is a riveting and fierce presence and exudes a sense of what it is to survive a painful past. Without words she gives us a picture of someone's inner life poignantly and vividly. That effort was rewarded with a Best Actress Oscar. The performances alone are worth the price of admission.