"See What I Hear" follows the great efforts of a group dedicated in to presenting to hearing-impaired audiences the power of music and lyrics
expressed by a sign-language interpreter, who translates to the audience the emotions and feelings of songs performed by singer/actress Holly Near.
Along with that initiative, we follow some of the concert's audience and supporters of the project who share a little about the difficulties they
faced while growing up deaf, about times when they were forbidden to use sign-language and act in conformity with the hearing people, and not
the other way around, and how American Sign Language (ASL) improved their communication skills and opened a different to world to them, a stronge
sense of union.
That last part was the one that caught my attention the most, even more than the enthusiasm of the concerts. One obviously expects seeing
slow changes throughout history and mankind when it comes to progress made for the cause of inclusion of people with disabilities and/or minorities.
But what was tough to hear was the stories which revolved on those women families or educators who were opposed to ASL, from harsh disagreements
to embarassment (like the lady who felt so happy when she went to college seeing lots of ASL speakers communicating in a great manner, but her
parents were so freaked out that they wanted to take her back home). It's the kind of reality that we don't see much in fictional movies, and
even though there are a handful great stories revolving on hearing-impared people, the ones featured here would show a wide and curious view on
their struggles through time, and how they dealt with adversities and succeed it in being outstanding contributors in their communities and around
the world.
A most deserving Oscar nomination was given to this short documentary, which probably gave a wider voice to the film and the project that
made a difference and transformed lives. I really enjoyed it. The film is entirely captioned. 10/10.
