Beyond Silence

Young Lara is in a most unusual situation: her parents are both deaf-mute, so she has to communicate for both of them. It's sort of a constraining situation, and when a relative gives Lara the chance to become a musician, her parents try to keep her at home. She will have to choose.

The idea of the daughter having to speak for her parents is not something that I ever would have thought about, but "Jenseits der Stille" (called "Beyond Silence" in English) made me think about it. It's always good to be able to see such intellectual stories, especially when Hollywood makes so many pointless blow-'em-up movies.

"Beyond Silence" is the story of a young girl who is a musical prodigy, but her parents have no appreciation for her talents because they are deaf. Immediately you can see how this brilliantly summarizes the plight of so many youngsters, across all generations, whose hopes and dreams fall on deaf ears. In that sense, this film applies to all of us regardless of whether we play music or grow up dealing with disabilities in the family. This story is universal and timeless.

Excellently acted all around (with the 2 deaf parents played by actors who are deaf in real life), I think the character who steals the show is the young girl Lara, age 7ish, played by Tatjana Trieb. She is intelligent and clever, often manipulating the situation to her benefit in a cheeky way (for example, acting as translator between her parents and her teachers but only translating what she wants them to know). In a subtle way, it sets the tone that our young protagonist is not a victim but rather a rebel who is willing to stand up for herself. Thus, even though the plot may seem like a frustrating ride, it's actually the opposite. The young girl is the one who's in control most of the time.

The story then jumps ahead several years with the role of Lara being assumed by Sylvie Testud, whom you may recognize from her role in "La Vie en Rose" 10 years after this. The young adult Lara is now living in Berlin and navigating her life away from her family, but there are complications. Enter the aunt, "Clarissa" (Sibylle Canonica) who is a complex character suffering from a host of mental issues due to always playing second fiddle to her deaf brother (Lara's father). As we see Clarissa become increasingly unhinged, possibly manipulating Lara's career for her own interests, the story takes on a deeper layer. It's this 2nd plot--relating to the collateral damage that a disability has on other family members--that really spices up the story.

"Beyond Silence" lots of food for thought, regardless of whether your life mirrors the lives of these characters. It's a thick family drama that revolves around the emotional friction within a family when people don't "hear" each other, literally or figuratively.

As the child of a single parent who is deaf, Beyond Silence is, in most aspects, a very true portrait of how I grew up. Scenes such as going to the bank and talking to the teacher were my actual experiences and difficulties I have faced all the time. It was just so real I couldn't help getting emotional as the story went on. For those who live or work with deaf or hard-of-hearing people, this is a must see; for those who don't, you should definitely see it as well and cherish your good sense of hearing -- being able to communicate easily is not a gift for everyone as most people take for granted.

I was lucky enough to get to see this movie in a German lesson in school. Basically right from the start I was caught up in it and knew, that this would be something different. The mood of the movie simply progressed with ease and gentleness, and at the same time hurled you into a world many never would have thought of. The world of a normal young girl, who has to go through an unusual dilemma, because both of her parents are deaf, and at the same time face the difficulties of life, experiencing her own true self. Finding herself turns out to be one of the real challenges in her life, because she has to separate herself from her parents and walk down her own path, without turning her back on them. She wants to be a musician, an idea which her father does not understand or support. Becoming a musician, despite the fact that her parents are deaf, gives a very clear and pure image, of how children tend to disobey their parents and create their own identity. The movie ends without really wrapping up every lose end, but it does not spoil it. Nonetheless it gives the movie the perfect ending, in which everything that really matters, works out. The idea of the movie and the very story has, as I have mentioned, a very deep and original plot, but this movies has more to it than this. Great acting (especially from the father), great music and is overall greatly directed and written. Good movie with many details. 7/10

Contrary to previous comments, sign language is NOT the same around the world. It is true that American Sign Language and French Sign Language are quite similar; this is because one of the first teachers of the deaf in the United States was a Frenchman, Laurent Clerc. However, at the the present time, French and American Sign Languages only have about 50% lexical similarity. Additionally, although German Sign Language is somewhat similar to other European sign languages, it is not related to ASL at all.

The sign language used by the little girl in this movie is German Sign Language. Her father is played by an American deaf man and her mother is played by a French deaf woman; their signing in German Sign Language is understandably accented.

For the record, I am a certified interpreter in American Sign Language.