"Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements" (2019 release; 89 min.) is a documentary about and up-close assessment of what it's like to be deaf. As the movie opens, we see a young boy (we later learn it is the 11 yr. old son of the movie's director) perform Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. As it happens, the boy (Jonas) is deaf. We then go back in time to when Jonas was just a baby, not born deaf but becoming deaf by age 4 and eventually undergoing surgery to get hearing aid implants. "This deafness, it's a hand-me-down", the director shares with us in the movie's voice-over. Astonishingly, we learn that both of the director's parents are deaf... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie,, but to tell you more of the narrative would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from seasoned editor-writer-director Irene Taylor Brodsky, whose most recent work was 2016's excellent "Beware the Slenderman" documentary. Here Brodsky goes in a very different direction, examining the streak of deafness that runs in her side of the family: her own son Jonas, and her aging parents (both well into their 70s). To tell her parents' story, Brodsky relies heavily on archive photos and 8mm footage. For the story of her son Jonas, we benefit from a wealth of (I'm guessing iPhone) footage. Woven together, these are deeply personal and moving stories, in particular as it relates to Brodsky's dad (you'll just have to see yourself why). Incidentally, Beethoven composed Moonlight Sonata while he was sliding into deafness himself. This documentary flew by in no time, and it took me a while afterwards to deal with the emotions from having seen this.
"Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements" premiered this week on HBO and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming platforms. In my book, "Moonlight Sonata" is a WINNER all the way. If you like non-fiction film, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
