2018

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Free on Amazon Prime

Trailer:  

A deaf woman meets a recently blinded man, and the film is the story of their romance. 

Review:

The film shows some of the challenges of living with deafness.  The main character, Ella, is a proficient lip-reader and speaker.  She makes deafness look easy because [the film makes it look like] she can understand so much through speech-reading, but I liked the character’s positive attitude and sense of humor.  I could connect to many of her experiences being deaf in a hearing world.

Ella tries to read lips as people talk with their mouths full, and puts on a smile when Aunt Margaret over enunciates and makes up her own sign language.  Ella has a laugh when a clerk asks her what is her accent, where is she from – not recognizing that she is deaf.  She replies, “Estonia.”

Ella goes on a date, and, after the man asked her about her deafness, he starts talking about his problems with sight. Again, this likely rings true for many of us who are deaf.  I know this happens often to me.  People will immediately tell me their ailments, their challenges in life.  

When Ella returns a wallet [left in a coffee shop] to a man who is blind, they have an instant connection.  They encounter each other again at the grocery store and become friends.  He is newly blind, learning Braille, but very proficient at getting around physically.  The viewer can see the challenges that both characters face.  For example, when they visit a night club, a man whispers in Ella’s ear and then asks question after question about her deafness.  “Fortunately, there are a lot more interesting things about me than being deaf,” she tells him.  I really liked this line, and plan to use it myself.

It’s a cute film with romance and some laughs.  I recommend checking it out.