Sound and Fury (2000)

Hard to watch, but very powerful

I had to watch this film for my American Sign Language class. Going in, I thought it would be easy to get through. However, the amount of tension and conflict between the family was hard to watch. People from each side of the argument say thing's that they really shouldn't and they are very offensive. The movie is really great, but it will make you uncomfortable. It also made me realize that despite learning sign, I will never be accepted by the deaf community. October 24, 2008

Cochlear Implants, Hearing Parents and Deaf Children

This is an excellent documentary. Some deaf adults believe that it is wrong for a hearing parent to allow their deaf babies to be surgically implanted with a cochlear implant. This movie is about a deaf-hearing family and what happens when cochlear implants enter into the culture and life of a family.

September 29, 2008

Hear me out . . .

This engaging documentary (docudrama comes closer to the right term for it) could be representing its subject fairly, but there are signs of potential bias that should make viewers question it before drawing conclusions about cochlear implants. For one thing, its emphasis is on the drama - the family conflict that erupts over a disagreement about whether a deaf child should be assimilated into the hearing world at the very real risk of being cut off from the deaf community (deaf culture, as its advocates refer to it in the film), including deaf family members. The argument at the center of the debate in the film is whether deafness is in fact a disability or handicap. For a hearing audience, the deeply felt belief among the deaf that it need not be will be an eye-opener. Yet because the arguments for both sides come chiefly from the members of one close-knit family, we don't get a perspective that professionals with some objectivity and wider experience might bring to the subject.

Another factor was the decision to "dub" through voice-overs all the signing by those who are deaf in the film. True, many viewers do not have the patience to read subtitles, but the result is that you don't get the feeling that the deaf in the film are really "speaking for themselves." It begs the question of their being handicapped and subtly undercuts their opinions. Finally, as another reviewer here has pointed out, the film seems too intent on championing implants without fully disclosing the risks, especially among those for whom the procedure has been delayed during a crucial developmental period of language acquisition. Worth seeing for the interesting ethical issues is raises about so-called disabilities. September 2, 2008

Sound and Fury

its a good movie to watch to see what kind of drama a cochlear implant impacts on family life ,even if no one in the family is deaf it still impacts the deaf kid in a negative way anyways. good example of what kinds of debates are going on with the deaf community and hearing community February 5, 2008

Sound & Fury

Great & realistic portrayal of the struggles that have gone on in the Deaf community over the cochlear implant. Should definitely purchase Sound & Fury - 6 Years Later as a follow up. December 1, 2007

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