Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Review – Stirring Study Of Activism And Adversity Of A Deaf Icon

Shoshannah Stern’s study of Marlee Matlin is simply a movie pinch a existent communicative to tell, astir a female who became a compelling fig successful American nationalist life. She is possibly destined to beryllium known chiefly arsenic nan first deaf performer to triumph an Oscar, for nan movie Children of a Lesser God successful 1987, but she besides campaigned to guarantee that Washington DC’s Gallaudet University for deaf and hearing-impaired group had a deaf president, and that each caller TV sets were built pinch optional closed-captioning for deaf people. Generally, she has conducted an ongoing run to do distant pinch nan condescension of pity, and to raise consciousness among proceeding group astir deaf people’s consciousness and culture, peculiarly successful motion language.

Matlin revealed something much successful her 2009 autobiography I’ll Scream Later: a history of supplier addiction (the Betty Ford session told her she had to salary for her ain interpreter) and of being sexually abused arsenic a child. She besides revealed she’d been abused arsenic an big by her partner William Hurt, her method-acting co-star successful Children of a Lesser God, who was possibly little than delighted to spot each nan acclaim spell to her and was, successful a pre-#MeToo play of exposure, singularly unrepentant. There are immoderate toe-curling TV clips of Matlin being patronised by pundits arsenic nan “sympathy vote” campaigner up of nan 1987 Oscars, and Stern besides possibly mischievously catches retired immoderate group successful nan coming day: Nicole Kidman didn’t look wholly relaxed applauding successful motion connection arsenic nan play Coda, astir a proceeding woman successful a deaf family, won astatine nan 2022 Oscars.

This is an engaging and thoroughly worthwhile movie. I myself americium agnostic, to opportunity nan least, astir the crowd-pleasing Coda, of which Matlin was a part, but it surely could not person existed without her and her achievements. Children of a Lesser God is simply a much self-conscious rumor movie, though, possibly oddly, this documentary doesn’t constituent retired its basal flaw: Matlin’s characteristic is not subtitled, truthful Hurt’s characteristic cumbersomely has to vocalise what she signs for nan proceeding audience’s benefit, arsenic if pondering it to himself. This movie makes a alternatively absorbing lawsuit that Matlin’s achievements showed up arsenic overmuch aliases much connected TV, pinch her sparkling mini roles connected Seinfeld and The West Wing. Either way, Matlin is an American pioneer.