I just watched The Silent Child for a second time and it was still just as brilliant as the first. What. A. Film.<\/p>\n
I was not really sure how much I would be able to relate to the film when I realised that it was about a severely deaf child, me being only partially deaf and all. But I do struggle with my hearing, and thus this short film still spoke to me. It’s beautifully done, very well thought through and wonderfully acted. Above all, its message is so important.<\/p>\n
When I was at school I had to learn French, or I could have learnt German. I never had the option of sign language. But the school knew<\/em> that I was part deaf. They knew<\/em>. I was never good at French really, I got a D in the GCSE, I was told to go to extra speaking classes at lunchtimes, and my listening exam they put my in the hall as far away from the speaker as humanly possible. So I sucked. I don’t try to speak French unless I’m around good friends, or those with a sense of humour.<\/p>\n I first discovered sign language at the age of ten, I had to learn the alphabet for brownies. After that it was university, at Deaf Culture Society. What this society gave me was unreal, I would go into a room where talking was band. The only communication that could happen was sign language. It was the first time I had been in a room where I understood everything. After hardly any lessons.<\/em><\/p>\n I loved it. I picked it up really well and it was such a confidence boost. Plus, its much more useful for me than French! That’s why I thought Silent Child was amazing, I understood completely.<\/em> I understood the need for sign, I understood the isolation, I understood the pain. I will not tell you any more as you need to go watch it yourself! I have been in plenty of situations where I cannot hear properly, where I struggle and sometimes no one cares. And there’s not much I can do.<\/p>\n I stand with a foot in each world. I cannot fully move to the deaf world as I have no means to learn sign language fully. I cannot fully be in the hearing world as I struggle to understand everything that is said around me. But thankfully I can ask for a big apple in French.<\/p>\n Siobhan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I just watched The Silent Child for a second time and it was still just as brilliant as the first. What. A. Film. I was not really sure how much I would be able to relate to the film when I realised that it was about a severely deaf child, me being only partially deaf … Continue reading The Silent Child – Why I loved it<\/span>