"Sound and Fury" Movie Review

Deaf people face the inability to communicate with the world on a daily basis. Technology has allowed for many tools to make common interaction less difficult for these individuals. But, still, a communication barrier exists. Now, there is technology available which lends the possibility of making a deaf person capable of hearing. No matter how promising this device sounds, deaf people and the families of deaf children face many challenges in deciding if an implant is right for them. With this new hope of hearing comes the fear of failure and the possibility of being cast out of and judged by the Deaf community. Embracing this new technology isn't simple when an individual must fear losing their cultural identity and the support of others like them.

Sound and Fury is a Public Broadcasting Service documentary that follows two families on their quest for knowledge regarding cochlear implants. Heather Artinian, an intelligent and vibrant 6-year-old, asks her parents Peter and Nina for a cochlear implant. A deaf child, she wants to be able to communicate with the hearing world. Her frustrations trying to speak to her hearing friends, along with the desire to hear noises like a baby crying and cars crashing, provoke her to ask her parents about this technology. By the end of the film, Peter and Nina, who are both deaf as well, decide that a cochlear implant is not the best idea for their daughter. Instead, they relocate to Frederick, Maryland, a town with a high population of deaf people, where they feel they and their daughter will fit in and feel more comfortable.

The film also follows Peter's brother's family as they decide if a cochlear implant is a good decision for their 1 1/2-year-old son, also named Peter. Chris and Mari Artinian, both hearing, were devastated when they found out one of their twin boys was deaf. Now, it is their primary goal to give their son the best opportunity available to be a part of both the Deaf and hearing world. They decide that now is the time to give Peter the implant, before his language skills begin developing. At the film's end, Peter undergoes surgery to obtain the implant, and we see him at his first pathology appointment. The baby responds to sounds, and we see that the implant was a success.

Extended family plays a major role in this situation. This is a deaf family, with many deaf family members. Nancy and Michael Mancini, Mari's parents, are both deaf and are very opposed to Peter's cochlear implant. Nancy expresses her fear that Peter will only grow up hearing, that he won't be able to communicate with her, and that he'll lose his cultural identity.

The elder Peter's parents, Marianne and Peter Artinian, have a very different view regarding cochlear implants. However, they are both hearing. Marianne says that the cochlear implant is the “greatest miracle in medical science,” and that “we are on the brink of a revolution for those who cannot hear.” They tried their best to encourage Peter and Nina to let Heather have an implant. However, because Peter insists that his hearing mother couldn't possibly know what a deaf person goes through, he failed to take her advice.

Both sides of the coin have many valid points. I understand how the Deaf community can be harsh, turning on its members who chose cochlear implants to be a part of the hearing world. Many times, when cochlear implants are given to a child, the child's only option is to attend a school where oralism is encouraged. This definitely does detract from the deaf cultural norm of using sign language as a primary form of communication. It would be terribly difficult to no longer belong to the Deaf community, but to still not be entirely accepted in the hearing world, either. In the film, there is a scene when Mari tells people at a Deaf picnic of her choice to implant her son. They are outraged, telling her he'll never be accepted by their community. In that very scene, her own mother calls her a “lousy daughter” based on her decision to let her son hear. But the good must be taken with the bad. Someone who makes a decision to embrace the cochlear implant is also making the decision to face adversity from their own peers. Not to mention the risk factors involved with the surgery and the possibility that there is no residual hearing left to stimulate.

On the flip side, I think Marianne has a point. Technology isn't going anywhere. As long as there is this phenomenal advancement available that poses the possibility of hearing for a deaf person, people will embrace cochlear implants. Nancy says that deaf people with implants are no better than robots, but I've seen robots do some pretty cool things. That's not necessarily all that bad, in my book. I understand the operation is risky, at best, but I think it's a nice option for families dealing with deafness and finding it difficult to fit into the Deaf world. I was impressed that such a bright, young girl would ask her parents for a cochlear implant. Although I understand their reasons, I was a little discouraged that Peter and Nina simply decided against it. And instead of finding other ways for Heather to communicate with the hearing world, they pulled her out of it and moved her to a community where she'd be immersed in Deaf culture. I'm not sure it was the best move for her, but it seemed to be the best move for them. Yes, now she'll fit in more. She'll communicate more easily with her friends, because, they, too, are deaf and sign. However, her parents have closed the door on the hearing world, and she won't be a part of it until she's old enough to do so on her own. At one point, Peter even said he didn't care about the hearing world, to forget about them. This is a very closed-minded notion when he has a daughter who wants to be a part of everything.

This is what I fear the most. I long to see a world where the hearing and the Deaf can interact freely. I'm one small voice fighting for Deaf rights. There are many like me, I know. But our work is for naught if the Deaf community keeps closing the door on us. It seems as thought they want to be outcasts, but they also like to complain about it. I know this is not typical of all deaf people, but this film definitely conveyed the prejudices toward the hearing world that are felt by many in the Deaf community. I can only hope that technology continues to advance, and that someday, cochlear implants will be a safe and reliable option for those who choose to utilize it. But, I definitely appreciate the choice to steer clear of them and to embrace one's own very special Deaf identity as well.