The Silent Child

I watched this in a sign language class at my college. I've always wanted to communicate well with deaf people and this film shows why that is so important.

The feelings of loneliness expressed by the young actress are true to life. Many deaf ones cannot communicate with the general public, not because they don't want to, but because no one understands them. This film captures that and provides a powerful message why we need to try harder to include the deaf community by trying to communicate with them. The Silent Child is an amazing and emotional film that needs to be seen. It's realism is outstanding and it's message compelling. Thoroughly deserved the Oscar.

Joanne (Rachel Shenton) is the new tutor for a young deaf girl named Libby. Her mother is concerned about her learning sign language and would rather have her lip-reading. This leads to a conflict with Joanne who starts teaching the girl sign language.

This is an Oscar winning short. It's actually a very compelling two thirds of a movie. Shenton and the little girl are amazing together. It's emotional and it has a message. This would make for a nice stepping stone to a full length movie.

Greetings again from the darkness. Few things are more disheartening and frustrating than seeing a child neglected by their parents. When that child is deaf or hearing-impaired, the actions of such parents cross over to infuriating. Such is the topic of this gut-wrenching short film from writer Rachel Shenton and director Chris Overton.

While we usually assume parents are focused on the best interests of the child, this expertly crafted film shows us just how easy it is for everyday life to impact our best intentions. Four year old Libby (Maisie Sly) is the youngest child in a typically busy home. Work, school and activities keep the others swarming around her - leaving young Libby in an isolated state of confusion. Libby is profoundly deaf, unable to communicate with her family, and rarely even interacts. Her mother (played by Rachel Fielding) is the on-the-go type who wants her daughter to be normal, and absent-mindedly yells "Bye Libby" as she heads out for her next errand.

When social worker/tutor Joanne (writer Shenton) is hired to prepare Libby for school, it isn't long before the two are conversing through sign-language and young Libby comes alive ... playing in the park and asking for orange juice. It's a beautiful thing to watch unfold.

Early on, the film addresses that Libby "does not qualify" for a cochlear implant, which apparently was the last bit of effort her mother expended in trying to make her "normal". The film is beautifully shot and carries the strong message that with a bit of support, deaf children can be mainstreamed into schools - though I do wish some more attention had been given to cochlear implants. Ending with a couple of sobering statistics, it's refreshing to know that Ms. Shenton is an activist supporting the deaf community.

I must admit up front that I am not at all impartial in my ability to review "The Silent Child". Because I am the parent of a deaf daughter and am very acquainted with the subject matter in the film, the picture had a HUGE impact on me and I found myself crying during portions of the short. Even if perhaps I am not 100% impartial, the film earned a nomination for Best Live Action Short from the Oscars and I am rooting for it to take home the statuette--because of the quality of the film and because its message needs to be spread far and wide.

The story is about a cute little girl named Libby who lives in England. Her family is very well off and Libby is about to begin school. However, there is a problem...Libby is profoundly deaf. Because of this, a social worker has been assigned to work with the child. Soon it becomes apparent that the family (the mother in particular) want some miracle to occur...for Libby to hear and talk, though this just is very very unlikely. Plus, with the family refusing to learn sign language and just hoping all works out, things look pretty bad for Libby...even after she begins to blossom and open up during the time she works with the social worker.

The themes of this short are how woefully inadequate the school systems are to handle the needs of a deaf child and well as how woefully inadequate many parents of deaf kids are to be parents. Everything I saw in the film seemed familiar to me...such as the fact that the vast majority of deaf kids have parents who never learn to communicate with them and how isolated deaf children can be. While the problem in the US is not quite as severe as it is in the UK (here we have generally had little difficulty getting interpreters and other assistance with our daughter due to her disability), it still hits quite close to home. And, like Libby's family, I've known families who simply refuse to do anything to admit that their child needs remediation.

Overall, extremely well made, insightful and sad in many, many ways.

How often do you sit down and watch something, agree it's fundamentally incredible say it deserves to win an Oscar and it never does. Fortunately for this superb presentation justice has been served. The film itself is sensitive, thought provoking, and genuinely gives you a reasoned insight into what life must be like for Libby, the frustrations and struggles, but also the truth that the human spirit seems able to overcome anything. A heart breaking watch for most of us, but such an important message shared. Young Maisie Sly is absolutely incredible, how proud must her loved ones be of her. Wonderful.