Beyond Silence

when you totally give in to a movie, let down your guards, and are completely absorbed in the life of the characters, this is a good movie. i do not have deaf parents, i have a daughter (and the father daughter relationship was very touching for me, personally)but i just surrendered and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. i'd like to take this opportunity to thank my video store for having a foreign film library. i couldn't help but think of two things while watching this movie; 1.(and apparently many of you were thinking the same)is sign language the same in all countries? and don't laugh, 2. how this film compared to flashdance(bear with me)...and how it is obvious how flashdance was such a good idea on paper, but the translation to film was a complete failure. well..not complete, i liked it for one sit down. i will watch jenseits der stille again, as i do most subtitled films and enjoy it again. thank you ms. link, the cast and especially tatjana trieb and sylvie testud. you touched me.

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.

I recently rented the movie, "Beyond the Silence," and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As a sign language interpreter, I have read many books about CODA's (Children of Deaf Adults). I think that "Beyond the Silence" does a pretty good job of showing the difficulty and extra responsibilities that a child with deaf parents experiences.

If you enjoyed this movie, I would suggest reading the book "At a Loss for Words." It's a very touching story about a girl growing up with deaf parents and coming to terms with her feeling of guilt and anger and also love for them.

I'm not trying to be "preachy," but PLEASE don't call deaf people "mute." That term is negative and out-of-date.