Review of The Tribe (2014) by Tim M — 23 Dec 2016

I've said this a number of times, unique does not equal awesome. While, 'The Tribe' is innovative, I can't get over how few deaf people there are in the world and how this movie makes them look so poorly. Let's unpack this a little. We have a Ukrainian movie that portrays the inhabitants at a school for deaf children that has no subtitles and no spoken words. Yes, you heard me. A film that requires patience and time, There is a story here and potentially a good one, and yes a deaf person school could be just like any other. Oh wait all schools don't have mobs and sex trading. So is the negative portrayal a metaphor? If not anything else writer and director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky tries to cultivate something here. In only his second feature he shows he has imagination and vision.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the actors here. When there is no dialogue and the viewer can't understand sign language it's like watching a silent movie. While there is noise all we are left with is facial expression and body language to paint our picture. We don't know the characters' names so we just know faces and that takes concentration. Grigoriy Fesenko who plays the new kid immersed into this world is fantastic in his first feature film. Most of the actors are authentic.

While this isn't for everybody, it is one that will engage you if you allow it. Final Score 6.2/10.