Deaf Perception

The first technical thing I noticed about this short film was the set choices and movement. Having it start with the tutor on her bike in the English countryside seemed very open and as she rode her bike throughout the film it always seemed like we were moving towards something. At the start of the film we didn't know what we were moving towards and then as the journey continued we maintained our progress towards helping Libby get the education she needs.This made the time when the tutor was stopped by the phone call all the more significant because that stopped everything. Her on her bike, on dirt roads, with the open sky seem to represent an open minded and progressive view. That can also be seen when they are playing outside. While in places like the house, and the car can be seen as oppressive and tight. In the beginning the house is crowded and loud, with siblings and parents rushing everywhere, this tightness makes things seem claustrophobic. Libby is always sitting and seldom moves in the house, she prefers to watch TV than do anything else. However, when they leave the house she runs and plays, outside is a more carefree and accepting world.

The next thing that struck me was the acting and framing. Given the realistic fiction genre they made things very true to life and the actors were not particularly dramatized. The character who is speaking is usually at the center of the screen and they are usually having a back and forth conversation. Libby is often in the corner of the frame while other people are speaking, but when she starts to sign she also gets a turn in the middle of the shot. This may lend itself to the fact that with sign language you are required to maintain eye contact, not just for understanding, but as a courtesy to those you are signing to. So there is significance whenever someone makes eye contact with Libby because they are giving her respect. Another point of acting is that sign language is very expressive and because Libby starts out very passive, it is significant for her character when she smiles and has facial expressions, and that development is seen in the film.

The last thing I want to touch on is sound, since it is so significant when talking about deafness. This film is meant for hearing people to see so it makes sense that it does have music. In the moment where we get a view though Libby's eyes we get a sense of the silence that she experiences, as they put it in slow motion we see the expressions of each of the characters. Through this the audience is permitted to empathize with her, but also get a sense of her intelligence. She picks up things through facial expressions and lip-reading, but not everything and she is unable to engage in the conversation. The barrier of the lack of sound becomes a barrier in her relationship with others. The music is not highly emphasized in this film as much as the visuals and that is definitely intentional, they use the music, sound, or lack thereof to guide your emotions, but you're never going to take your eyes off the screen. On a personal note I have been studying ASL for a while now and film has become very important in Deaf culture, Deaf  and hard of hearing people are often separated by distance, but media like this is a perfect way of sharing ideas.