Search - Sound and Fury on DVD

Lorraine S. (rainey) from WOODLAND HLS, CA
Reviewed on 11/28/2007...

I encountered this documentary entirely by accident and found it immediately riveting.

Don't miss this complicated and revelatory peek into a vibrant if conflicted sub-culture.

The film maker has since made a second film about this subject and these family members 7 years later. I'm anxiously awaiting its DVD release to follow up on these children and this community.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

A documentary full of passion and ethical challenges

Michael J. Mazza | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 10/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Sound and Fury" is a documentary film directed by Josh Aronson and produced by Roger Weisberg. The film tells the story of three generations of two families that are linked by marriage. Each family has a number of deaf members across the generations.The family members find themselves challenged by the availability of cochlear implants, a revolutionary medical technology that potentially allows deaf people to be able to hear. At the heart of the film are the debates over whether two of the children in the extended family will receive the implants.This is an extraordinary film--one that is both emotionally moving and intellectually challenging. There are a number of lively debates over various interconnected topics: deaf culture, deaf identity, what is or is not a handicap, being a minority, and parental decisionmaking. The film is also valuable in that it is a fascinating visual record of people speaking in sign language--the beauty, power and expressiveness of this mode of communication is superbly captured, and accompanied by useful voiceover translation.The DVD contains additional footage that was cut from the film due to "weak" video quality. However, I feel that this additional material greatly adds to the debates in the film."

Completely bowled over!

--corinne-- | North Georgia | 07/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Can I give this documentary six stars? It's that good. It's a provocative story with even-handed treatment and thoughtful portrayal.
The idea of cochlear implants is amazing- that people deaf since birth can have a device implanted behind their ears that enables them to hear. You'd think that this device would be embraced by the deaf community, but the reality is not so simple.
This documentary follows the families of two brothers, one deaf and one hearing, who are divided over whether to have cochlear implants implanted in their deaf children.
The deaf brother and his wife passionately identify themselves with being deaf. They can read lips but cannot speak. Their misgivings grow over the consequences for their family if their four-and-a-half year old daughter receives a cochlear implant and is able to hear and speak while they cannot.
The second brother and his wife, both hearing, have newborn twin sons, one who hears and one who cannot. They feel their deaf son's life will be easier if he has an implant.
This documentary is most riveting when following the conflict between the two couples and their own parents as they debate whether or not to give their deaf children cochlear implants.
Profound socio- and psychological issues come to light over deaf and hearing identity and culture.
High praise goes to the "Sound and Fury" crew who found this family who have three generations of hearing and deaf members. Their different perspectives created a wonderfully rich dialogue that was a joy to follow.
And much thanks to the Artinian family for generously opening your homes to us and making us think about both sides of this intensely personal debate.
From a person who is new to the issue of cochlear implants I couldn't take my eyes away from this story. I have not followed a documentary so raptly since "Hoop Dreams."
This eighty-minute documentary is completely suitable and highly recommended for both academic and personal viewing."

An important documentary...

D. Pawl | Seattle | 06/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SOUND AND FURY, directed by Josh Aronson, takes a good look at the deaf culture and the cochlear implant, a device that poses a great challenge and [even] a threat to their interconnectedness, as a community. The implant, if implanted in a deaf child, has the power to bring them hearing. Potentially, if an implant recipient receives it early enough, they can even grow up to speak and interact with the hearing world in a coherent and connected manner. Though, this sounds like a great miracle that all parents would potentially want for their children (especially deaf parents), this is not that case at all.



The film follows the Artinian family. The two Artinian brothers live very different lives. While Peter was born deaf, went on to marry a deaf woman and has a deaf five year old daughter, his brother can hear, married a woman whose parents are deaf, but she is also hearing. Together, they have twin boys. One can hear, but the other was born deaf. When the option of the cochlear implant is presented, the brothers react very differently, as do sets of grandparents. In the Artinian family's community in Long Island, New York, the cochlear implant is a very controversial medical phenomenon. For starters, the question of deaf people's perceived inferiority in the eyes of of hearing people is a huge issue. The cochlear implant poses even greater leverage in the favor of the hearing world's sustained stereotype--that is the feeling that Peter and many of his friends in the deaf community share. Whereas, Mrs. Artinian, Peter's mother, believes that denying a deaf child the opportunity to hear is wrong and not giving their flesh and blood the best opportunity to integrate into the hearing world, to have better opportunities. These opportunities would otherwise be denied.



The title of this documentary, alone, really made me anticipate a very fiery debate on the cochlear implant issue, and I was right. The separation between the hearing world and the deaf world is a great and difficult one. I am so glad that this film was made because it was sensitively done, and it also teaches the viewer a great deal about the intricacies of moving between the world of the hearing and the world of the deaf. It really is a huge cultural difference--bigger than you would imagine. Well worth the acclaim!"