Starting his new job as an instructor at a New England school for the deaf, James Leeds meets Sarah Norman, a young deaf woman who works at the school as a member of the custodial staff. In spite of Sarah's withdrawn emotional state, a romance slowly develops between the pair.
Gottes vergessene Kinder, Figli di un Dio Minore, Les Enfants du silence, Hijos de un dios menor, Bohem zapomenuté děti, ילדים חורגים לאלוהים, Filhos do Silêncio, Egy kisebb Isten gyermekei, Деца, забравени от Бога, 失宠于上帝的孩子们, 작은 신의 아이들, Bortom alla ord, Дети тишины, 愛は静けさの中に, Dzieci gorszego Boga, Filhos de Um Deus Menor, Başka Tanrının Çocukları, Kærlighed uden ord, Kjærlighet trenger ingen ord, Te Amaré en Silencio, Sanaton rakkaus, รักนี้ไม่มีคำพูด, Діти меншого Бога, Fills d’un déu menor
Canada Toronto International Film Festival 
Berlin International Film Festival 
Romania12 
USAR 
AustraliaM 
Ireland15 
UK15 
U 
Italy 
Japan 
South Korea15 
Hungary18 Australia Canada Hungary Ireland Italy Japan Romania South Korea UK USA
that one time when the Academy honored an actual deaf person with an Oscar for a performance in a leading role? But afterwards, Marlee Martin starred in nothing major because Hollywood is an instant gratifying mechanism that likes to pat itself on its back whenever they give awards out to minorities or to the unacknowledged, believing they are socially progressive by having a low-budget film like this made once every blue moon?
Yep, that's Hollywood for you.
Marlee Matlin’s debut film, she was 21 and was able to give THAT performance?! And you all still have the audacity to say that Sigourney Weaver was robbed for Aliens?! No! Marlee was absolutely incredible in this film. Her performance was fierce, angry, feisty, strong, convincing and overall beautifully done. I was so impressed with her the entire time, I really wish she did more movies. Her emotion really pops through the screen.
And that’s not to understate William Hurt, who’s also terrific here. Their on screen chemistry is really wonderful, and never left me bored. The reason why this movie works so well is because their chemistry feels very different from other romantic movies. The setting and character traits allow the story to have more originality. You all need to see this one and even if its just for Marlee Matlin.
tw: sexual assault mention
marlee matlin winning an oscar for this performance and then being sidelined by hollywood immediately after is the definition of tokenism, and she deserved so much better because her performance is tender and angry and strong. randa haines constructs this story's humor and charm so easily amid scenes of intense drama, literally won a silver bear at the berlinale for it, and her career is also discouragingly sparse. it makes NO sense. as a story about a deaf character, it would have been ideal to have the story not be told through a surrogate hearing character, but because sarah refuses to conform with james's expectations, it's not quite a savior narrative (i would love to read…
dude... just let her sign if she wants to sign...
Best Actress Watch Number 58/94
tw; sexual violence
About halfway through Children of a Lesser God, I paused the movie. I couldn't tell if I was reading too critically into the narrative, but I eventually stumbled upon this article about the sexual/emotional/physical abuse Marlee Matlin survived at the hands of costar William Hurt. To me, there is something unsettling and coercive about James' pursuit of Sarah, and the romance that follows. He continually polices her narrative, and seeks out ways in which to re/construct her identity for his own gaze. (He doesn't even ask her if she wants to move in with him??? He just says she will). Marlee Matlin gives an incredible debut performance here, but Matlin's experiences behind the scenes coupled with my own misgivings about the film's narrative made this one difficult to appreciate on its own .
This adaptation of Mark Medoff's Tony Award-winning stage play includes an Oscar-winning performance from Marlee Matlin as the intense and confrontational Sarah Norman, a deaf social outcast employed as a school janitor. The screenplay co-written by Medoff (and Hesper Anderson) together with director Randa Haines introduces Norman’s world of deafness with comion and dignity; centralising on common and widespread anxieties and explicates discourses of iration for the reverence of individuality. Children of a Lesser God is a thought-provoking movie and an impactful love story.
"Here you go! Hear my words! Hear my voice!".
After watching CODA I had to see this someday and... I have no words.
Another accurate of life within the deaf community, predictable but devastating.
PS: Piper Laurie (RIP).
At first, I felt mean for hating the first studio movie starring a deaf actress and the first Best Picture nominee directed by a woman. But I’m over that.
Hurt is insufferable. He plays the main character, James, an arrogant prick with stalker-ish tendencies back when hunting women down was considered romantic. And it’s not just the character; it’s Hurt, who plays him with obvious affection as a rascally John Keating-type crusader. Matlin’s Sarah is seen through James’ eyes, sadly, because he’s a judgmental douche with a savior complex.
The ruse of him repeating her ASL out loud makes a painfully apt metaphor for whose perspective this movie takes. When he s her at a party where all conversation is…
Two questions though: what happened to the nerd kid, did he eventually become Jeremy from the Pearl Jam song? And does God has to do with all of this?
Anywho, this is such an endearing and sweet romantic film. William Hurt outbeats himself on Broadacast News. From the first shot, somehow I immediately fell in love with his character. However, who really stole my heart was the national treasure known as Marlee Martin. She's fantastic as Sarah, the most complex character on the film and perhaps the one with best arc of all. With no need of speaking a single word, through her action alone she's capable of expressing all her emotions that you begin to feel and sympathize and…
“It's a film about having to work hard and dig deep to find your complete self, and how it’s a lot easier to do that alongside someone who loves you.”
Kurdt addresses this in a far more gracious & cohesive way than I’m capable of doing, so that’s my go-to for context. I’m not going to get into any of that here.
Children of a…
wish subtitles were used as characters were g because having william hurt just voice everything felt off. that aside, marlee’s performance was just beautiful. SO deserved that oscar
Children of a Lesser God is one of the less enduring Best Picture nominees of the 1980s. I feel like its legacy boils down to being the first film to be honored with an Academy Award for a performance by a deaf actress, which doesn't remotely capture the sum of qualities this film has going for it. (For anyone interested, Marlee Matlin is also the youngest actress to date to win this award.) But it is exactly this fact that makes Marlee Matlin so entrancing to watch. In a performance without many words, she makes the most of working with her emotions, radiating authenticity through her ionate portrayal of a vulnerable woman with strong ideals.
William Hurt, acclaimed as one…
