Review of Children of a Lesser God (1986) by David H — 09 Aug 2009

Didn't know how I was gonna liek this film, but I actually really enjoyed it. It had an excellent story and gave way for some terrific performances from William Hurt and Marlee Matlin, the latter of whom became the youngest woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The film chronicles James Leeds (William Hurt, in a performance that was good but could have been a tad better), a teacher at a deaf school, and his relationship with Sarah Norman (Marlee Matlin, in the best debut performance I've ever seen, as well one of the most Oscar-deserving performances out there), the deaf custodian. They deal with problems in communication and security with one another.

The film has a good screenplay, but it thrives on the perfect performance of Marlee Matlin. I was a bit skeptical at first... I was under the impression that she may have won solely because she was deaf and overcame that obstacle. I was very wrong and, if I could, would liek the chance to personally apologize to Marlee Matlin for making such an accusation. She delivers one of the most powerful and engaging and interesting film performances I've ever seen. She knows the character of Sarah Norman inside and out, and she takes the character to depths that most "normal" actresses could never dream of. That being said, a woman who wasn't deaf wouldn't have been able to do even one-tenth of what Matlin did with the character.

Now that I'm through with my Marlee-Matlin-is-so-great rant, I can honestly say it was a fantastic film. The best aspect, at least in my book, is Marlee Matlin's performance. The film probably works well as a good date movie too.

Highly recommended.