Amoeba Music

I feel as though children are often approached by adults without respect and deprived of some very rewarding chances in life. Sound and Fury deals with the introduction of new technologies within deaf communities and the controversy it has sprouted. Two brothers, Chris and Peter, are dealing with a family crisis. Chris has healthy hearing, while his brother Peter was born deaf. Each is married with children. Peter and his wife Nita have a son and daughter who are deaf, and one of Chris's infant twin sons is also deaf. Chris and his wife Mari have decided to go through a surgical procedure to give their son a cochlear implant—a device that can restore hearing. Peter's daughter Heather becomes aware of the procedure and its advantages and asks her parents if she can also have the procedure performed.

The families have relatives and friends who are deaf and have come to see their deafness as a culture. For them, being deaf gives them a sense of community and a peaceful, dramatic way of communicating that others don't experience. But for those in the family, especially Heather's grandmother who is not deaf, the procedure can offer a world of endless possibilities for Heather. Peter and Nita, however, feel that their daughter is perfect the way she is and that changing her view of the world with sound might separate her from their community, and from them.

The documentary was nominated for an Academy Award, and it is the thorough covering of both angles in the debate on cochlear implants that grants it such praise. While the saying goes that one can't miss what they never had, I find that some things, such as bodily performance, are desired by many people who cannot function normally. The documentary does slightly lean toward the idea that Heather, even though she is a small child, should be able to improve her quality of life if she wishes. Her mother has a larger role in the decision than her father. She decides to gather more information on the technology and interview others who have gone through the surgery, going so far as to open up the possibility of doing it first herself. She takes Heather to visit the schools of children who've gone through the procedure and can now hear and talk like you and I. Heather is in awe over the strange devices attached to their ears, while Nita is disturbed about the complete lack of sign language used. Heather's deaf relatives and community are in agreement that the introduction of sound might cause Heather to stray from them, or worse, mock them for their disability.

None of them see their impaired hearing as a disability, but to me, the lack of a sense due to a hereditary or physical issue is a disability. Chris and Mari disagree wholeheartedly, which causes a wall to form between the families. Since they can hear and so can one of their sons, they know that there won't be an issue in terms of communication. They also sign and have a great social life with the deaf members of their family. Chris doesn’t understand his brother's take on Heather's involvement with the community, and argues that just because she would be able to hear does not mean that she would stop signing or drift apart from them. In the end, Nita and Peter decide not to get the procedure done for themselves or their daughter. They eventually grow tired with the hostility from what they call the "hearing culture" and move to a community that has a large percentage of deaf people and schools. Chris and Mari have the procedure for their son and it goes over smoothly, with Mari in tears over the fact that her son acknowledges her voice. She and her husband strongly believe that with the procedure performed their son's quality of living will be greater.

The documentary covers both sides of the argument very well, though it is clear that there is a bias leaning toward the implant being a positive thing. I found myself angry at times, seeing Heather so curious and excited about a possible future with the ability to hear, while others shun the procedure and remark on how uncomfortable with it they would be, as if their desires mattered more. The film is presented as this battle between the deaf and the hearing, with the deaf afraid that their way of life is at stake. It's not that I'm insensitive to their opinions and fears, but I still think that the happiness of Heather should dominate that of her parents and community. If any child believes that their disability is hindering or will hinder them, I feel that no matter what the disability or how old the child, the parent should do everything in their power to help them. My opinion doesn’t matter, but that is my position on the issue. There is a follow up to the documentary that I'd like to see as well, but this one offers plenty to think on, as I'm sure that Heather's situation mirrors that of many other children.

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Sound and Fury was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.