Lara, the daughter of Martin and Kai, is relied upon by her deaf parents to navigate their daily lives. She translates TV for her mother and even interprets at her own parent-teacher conference, impressing everyone. Additionally, Lara takes on the responsibility of verbal communication when her younger sister Marie is born. However, due to her commitment to bridging the gap between the hearing and deaf worlds, Lara faces difficulties with reading skills and becomes a target for constant teasing from classmates.
Despite Lara’s level-headedness and maturity beyond her age, she still manages to find mischief in her young life. The movie takes a dramatic turn on Christmas morning when Lara’s Aunt Clarissa gives her a clarinet. This seemingly innocent gift harbors underlying tension between Clarissa and Martin, Lara’s father. Music has always been a sensitive subject for Martin because of the pain it caused him during his childhood. He was unable to participate while Clarissa excelled in this area. Martin’s closed-mindedness regarding music stems from both his family’s rejection and his own frustration with his hearing impairment.
With the support of her music teacher, mother, and Aunt Clarissa, Lara excels at music. As the film fast forwards ten years, Lara, now eighteen, is a talented clarinetist and a lovely young lady. Her music teacher and Clarissa encourage her to apply to the prestigious music academy in Berlin, which is 300 miles away from home. In order to pass the entrance exam, Lara will have to practice intensively throughout the summer. Clarissa invites Lara to stay with her and her husband in Berlin during this time.
For Martin, his wife and he will have to manage without their best “translator” (although Marie has developed some of the same ability). Martin feels that Clarissa is attempting to take his daughter away from him, and his daughter’s passions, music and the clarinet, are something he will never be able to bond with her over. However, with Kai’s intervention, Lara is soon in Berlin with her Aunt Clarissa. In Berlin, Lara uncovers a new world as she matures and explores her identity as a self-reliant woman.
She also discovers that her aunt’s motivation are not entirely genuine as she sometimes seems more intent on producing a replica of herself than on supporting Lara’s development into her own person. One day, Lara spots a young man and a child signing back and forth to one another and is intrigued. She eavesdrops on their conversation (in sign language) and follows them at a respectful distance. Suddenly, she is caught staring at the man through a store window and offers an explanation in sign language. The young man, Tom, teaches at a school for deaf children and is not himself deaf, but grew up with a deaf father and learned to sign.
Lara and Tom are building a romantic relationship while her Aunt Clarissa’s marriage is falling apart. Lara’s life is disrupted by the unfortunate death of her mother. Nevertheless, she has become skilled at overcoming obstacles due to her upbringing. She dedicates herself to educating the deaf using inventive techniques such as music, keyboards on phones, and doorbells that blink. Throughout the movie, her unique connection with her parents is woven into the storyline.
The film’s conclusion involves Lara’s discovery of how to release her grip on the past and embrace the present. This transformation occurs through her relationship with Tom and the lessons she learns from her challenges and difficulties. Beyond Silence takes viewers into different aspects of the deaf community’s life that may not be immediately apparent. For instance, it portrays a deaf family attending church and signing hymns. Although this may seem unusual to some, it prompts contemplation about other facets of life that may appear trivial without perfect hearing ability. One significant reminder portrayed in the movie is the struggles faced by a deaf mother who cannot hear her child seeking assistance, even when it is presented as a joke by her younger daughter. The film employs various peculiarities to enlighten viewers with normal hearing about these unique experiences.
Beyond Silence is impressive because it avoids preaching or portraying deafness as a handicap. Lara effortlessly transitions between being deaf and hearing, while her parents manage perfectly well with their daughter’s assistance. The only significant issue arising from their disability is Lara’s desire to follow in her Aunt Clarissa’s footsteps and become a clarinet player. She wishes to leave home and attend a music conservatory in Berlin, which is approximately 300 miles away.
This statement can be applied to any normal family who opposes their child’s decision to move away from home and pursue a career. While Beyond Silence has subtitles, the importance of foreign language in a movie that focuses on sign language is questioned. Lara explains the sound of thunder to her father and shares her observations about the sound of flags fluttering in the wind, or the absence of sound when the sun sets.
The speaker describes how snow is silent and actually absorbs sound, which her father finds incredibly beautiful. With these elements, the movie offers more than just entertainment, as it can also be appreciated by the deaf community and those who can hear. In the film, Lara not only communicates through sign language but also interprets her parents’ gestures, although in my opinion, this aspect could have been omitted.
And had it done without, anyone, regardless of language, would be reading the subtitles, unless they were fluent in sign language. The subtitles are in large yellow print, making them easy to read, but it can be challenging at times to keep up when the parents communicate solely through sign language and the viewer must determine which statement belongs to which parent. This situation doesn’t occur frequently as Lara usually reads her parents’ conversation aloud, beginning with a clear “You are saying that…” before the dialogue.
When trying to identify the speaker in specific situations, a useful hint is the noticeable difference in personalities between the parents, similar to Lara and Tom. In general, although I had to constantly read subtitles and understand sign language, I thought the movie was great. By the end, it deeply moved me and provided comfort through its heartwarming and morally sound ending. It was an enjoyable film that took viewers on an emotional journey and ultimately left them feeling satisfied and smiling.
The actresses chosen for Lara’s character were well-casted, making it difficult to distinguish between the two actresses who portrayed her at different ages. The film’s ending was very joyful, which is typical of a Disney subsidiary. I highly recommend this movie, especially to individuals in the hearing community, as it provides valuable insights into the traditions and cultural disparities within the deaf community.
