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Deaf Major 
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TITLE |
Beyond Silence (1996) |
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ALT__TITLE |
Jenseits der
Stille |
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NOTES |
In German
and German sign language |
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A woman,
Lara, from being a child has had to act as a go- |
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between for
her parents who are both deaf and speaking |
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impaired.
The film shows her as child and as adult. As a |
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child she is
committed to her parents and misses out on her |
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schooling
through putting their needs first. Growing up she |
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develops an
interest in music and the clarinet |
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The story
then jumps to 10 years ahead when Lara is |
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eighteen .
She is good enough on the clarinet to be |
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considering
studying at a conservatory. Her father is opposed |
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but her
mother persuades him to let her spend the summer |
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with her
aunt in Berlin where she can prepare for the entrance |
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exam. Lara
also falls in love with a teacher of the deaf. Then |
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on top of
her struggle between home commitments and her |
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own
ambitions things take a turn for the worse. The strength |
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of Lara's
commitment is highlighted by the fact she has a |
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younger
sister but the sister doesn't want to be the translator |
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Though this
is a German film the father is played by a deaf |
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American
actor, her mother by a deaf French actor and when |
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you think
about it, without language there is no barrier to this |
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mobility.
Though I don't know how much each country's sign |
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Lara, the
child, is played by Tatjana Trieb, as a woman by |
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Sylvie
Testud in a change which is virtually seamless. |
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Notes
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