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Opening reception will precede the film. I Love You, But…(U.S., 1994) Deaf Producer Lawrence Fleischer will be present for a discussion after the film. Unfortunately, Peter Wolf will not be able to join us. Performed in ASL without voice over or subtitles, Peter Wolf’s second feature film, the first being the landmark Deafula (1975), explores allegiances of the heart vs. those of culture. After dropping her Deaf boyfriend off at the airport, Aimee, an attractive and confident young Deaf woman, finds herself wooed by Robert, a buff dancer who’s fascinated by her. He’s handsome, he’s talented, he’s well-to-do, but he’s also hearing. Directed, written and performed primarily by Deaf artists, I Love You, But… follows Robert and Aimee’s budding romance as they confront the thorny dilemmas of cross-cultural courting. In one telling sequence, the well-meaning Robert enrolls in a sign-language class that advocates “Easy English Signing”, a thinly veiled satire of Signing Exact English (SEE). His clumsy attempts to communicate actually endear him to his reticent girlfriend. I Love You, But… is built around a series of family gatherings in which misconceptions about Deaf culture are dramatically debated. Topics include assimilation, deaf offspring and cochlear implants, but there are no easy answers here. As the film’s title suggests even the heart has qualifications. TOP
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I Love You (Japan, 2000) Deaf Codirector Akihiro Yonaiyama will be present for a discussion after the film. Asako, played with subtle vulnerability by Deaf actress Akiko Oshidari, leads a simple life in a small country town, with her precocious daughter, Ai, and fireman husband, both hearing. One day Ai is ridiculed for using sign language by a schoolmate. Distraught by the prejudice her daughter must bear, Asako vows to show that deafness is not a hindrance to a full and happy life. Resolute, she joins a Deaf theater company, the Hands Troupe, and performs a signed production of Beauty and the Beast. Full of sweetness and tribulation, I Love You is the first Japanese feature co-directed by a Deaf artist, Akihiro Yonaiyama, also a founding member of the Japanese Theater of the Deaf. The film’s ideal, captured poetically in the fable of the beast, peers beyond the hide of misconception to the beauty underneath. Delightfully rendered, this exceptional work used many Deaf actors and crew in its making. TOP
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Bangkok Dangerous (Krung Thep Antara) (Thailand, 2000) Directed by twin brothers Danny and Oxide Pang (both hearing), Bangkok Dangerous is a hyper-stylish thriller about a deaf hitman. Tormented as a child because of his deafness, Kong (portrayed with charged silence by Pawalit Mongkolpisit) had become a discarded soul, reclusive and cold, living on the fringes. He then comes under the influence of a seasoned killer, Joe, who trains him as a paid assassin. Kong has a natural way with weaponry, however, he begins to look for more in life after a chance meeting at a pharmacy. The Pang Brothers have created a hip, violent neo-noir film with ultra-cool carnage. Bangkok Dangerous is told in a unique visual style that eliminates the need for much dialog. TOP
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Director: Malcolm Venville U.K., 1996, 10:30 mins, in British Sign Language with spoken dialogue subtitled. This beautifully composed film compresses the story of a romance into elegant vignettes, centered around a newborn baby’s hearing test. TOP
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Egypt
(Ågyten)
Director: Kathrin Resetarits Austria, 1996, 10 mins, in Austrian Sign Language with English subtitles, B&W. Egypt does a simple thing: people of different ages sign a story, a song, and a movie; each rendering is charmingly expressive and individualistic. TOP
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Director: Jorg Fockele Germany, 1995, 15 mins, in German Sign Language with English subtitles, B&W. Tells of a once peaceful land of Deaf people oppressed by an evil sorcerer who forces them to hear with queer ears. Fockele’s imaginative art direction recalls German Expressionism. TOP
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Dancer from a Silence of 100 dB Director: Antti Raike Finland, 1995, 32 mins, in Finnish Sign Language with English subtitles, B&W. Deaf dancer Juho Saarinen recalls his youthful yearnings for art. Throughout this punchy portrait, Juho turns the landscape into a danceable surface. TOP
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Director: Cornelis "Con" Mehlum Norway, 2001, 9:05 mins, silent. Mehlum expresses the anxieties of his generation in the experimental performance. This Deaf artist uses charged objects and actions to evoke a wariness of modernity. TOP |
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