BBBB
(out of 5)
William Hurt goes to work at a school for deaf children and befriends a young janitor (Marlee Matlin) who was once a pupil there. Getting to know her, he realizes she has been avoiding the outside world from fear, and through their friendship and eventual love affair, they give each other much in the way of confidence and emotional awakening. Piper Laurie is fantastic in a small role as Matlin’s emotionally restricted mother, who finally comes to grips with the ways in which she failed as the mother to a hearing-impaired child. Hurt is his usual colourless self, while Matlin does quite an impressive job with the role; to be fair, she got better later on, even if Hollywood never really had enough work for her to show off in. An emotionally satisfying, deeply felt experience, and one of the bigger dramatic successes of the eighties.
USA, 1986
Directed by Randa Haines
Screenplay by Hesper Anderson, Mark Medoff, based on the play by Mark Medoff
Cinematography by John Seale
Produced by Patrick J. Palmer, Burt Sugarman
Music by Michael Convertino
Production Design by Gene Callahan
Costume Design by Renee April
Film Editing by Lisa Fruchtman
