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Directed by Hilari Scarl, See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary an award-winning documentary aiming to bring the deaf culture to the mainstream audience. It presents a story of four entertainers with various hearing impairments: Robert DeMayo, a talented actor who teaches at Julliard yet faces homelessness; CJ Jones, a prominent comedian in the deaf community; Bob Hiltermann, a drummer in the deaf rock band Beethoven’s Nightmare; and TL Forsberg, a hard of hearing singer who seeks to find her place within the deaf community. In her 2009 documentary, Scarl provides the general audience with a glimpse of the world of deaf entertainers, thus helping shed light on the life and struggles of the broader deaf community. The director achieves her goal of conveying her message by focusing her story on four bright individuals and appealing to the audience’s emotions.
The documentary begins by introducing the characters’ occupations in the entertainment industry by visualizing their respective performances. This particular opening proves to be effective as it immediately grabs the viewer’s attention by giving an insight into the unfamiliar world of deaf entertainers. It is followed by a more in-depth narration of the characters’ respective backgrounds, i.e., professional and personal.
The presentation involves both direct testimonies from the subjects and a somewhat detached video log of their everyday activities. For example, the introduction of the comedian CJ Jones combines a casual monologue in which Jones tells a personal anecdote about his illness and family with footage of his performance. This contrasting means of narration provides a solid appeal to pathos by invoking the viewer’s sympathy and portraying Jones as a relatable human being. Overall, the beginning of the documentary successfully makes the audience establish an intimate connection with the characters.
Several key motifs can be traced throughout the progression of the film. One important idea present in the stories of all characters is the struggle to adjust to the world designed by the hearing. For instance, Robert DeMayo’s visit to a hair salon shows a broader trend in which deaf individuals have to pretend they fully understand their hearing peers. CJ Jones undergoes a comparable experience as he almost misses an important update at the airport announced through a non-inclusive system. Similarly, Bob Hiltermann has been prevented from pursuing musical opportunities because of his seeming inability to perceive music customarily. All of the instances mentioned above convey a pervasive non-inclusion trend.
Another significant idea traced throughout the documentary is the wrongfully perceived rigidity of deafness. For example, TL Forsberg’s identity is questioned because her condition does not fall into “being deaf,” which causes her struggle to be dismissed by both the deaf community and the hearing world. Her experience calls for a need to recognize that deafness is a spectrum condition rather than an inflexible diagnosis. Robert DeMayo’s description of the American Sign Language (ASL) version range creates a similar impression. The documentary attempts to broaden the viewer’s understanding of deafness and surrounding concepts.
The lack of inclusive opportunities for the deaf and the pervasiveness of ignorance among the hearing are aggravated by the struggle to make a living wage. Three out of four entertainers in the documentary are forced to pursue side jobs to get by in their city. To make matters worse, one of them faces homelessness, which threatens his mental and physical wellbeing. The documentary highlights that the social security system cannot support the individuals in need, particularly more vulnerable members of society. Moreover, one can speculate that the piece is also an attempt to denounce the current faulty system.
Despite all of the hardships presented, the film culminates if celebrating the documentary’s artistic expression of all four subjects, namely the concert of Beethoven’s Nightmare. The story of the characters’ reaches a full circle because the documentary ends similar to how it began: testimony combined with performance footage. Scarl creates a story arch descriptive of the entertainers’ lives by opting to finish her piece this way. Although deaf individuals face many struggles in the predominantly hearing society, they find solace in the strong bonds within their community and art.
See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary raises several crucial topics for further group discussion and personal contemplation. First, the experiences portrayed underscore the need to implement primary ASL education. Second, the glaring perseverance of the subjects working in spheres where hearing could be deemed essential for success is juxtaposed with the challenges they face as a disabled minority. Third, this idea provokes further discussions on improving social welfare policies for the broader disabled community in the United States. Finally, each character could be considered an epitome of their respective craft within and outside the deaf culture. Overall, the documentary aims to offer some understanding of the deaf culture for the general audience and emphasize a further need to foster a more inclusive society.
References
Hilari Scarl (Director). (2009). See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary [Film].
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