Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Directed by

Randa Haines

Genre

drama film, romance film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 59m

Rated

R

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 346 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A hearing speech teacher works at a school for the deaf. He falls in love with a deaf custodian who does not want to learn to speak. Their different views on deaf identity and communication create problems in their relationship.

romantictensethoughtfulemotionalintimateconflict-drivenearnest

What happens

Children of a Lesser God is a 1986 American romantic drama film directed by Randa Haines from a screenplay written by Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff and based on Medoff's 1979 play. The film stars William Hurt, Marlee Matlin (in her film debut), Piper Laurie, and Philip Bosco. The film's narrative follows two employees at a school for the deaf: a deaf custodian and a hearing speech teacher, whose conflicting ideologies on speech and deafness create tension and discord in their developing romantic relationship. Children of a Lesser God premiered at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear, while Haines received a Special Silver Bear. It was theatrically released on October 3, 1986, by Paramount Pictures to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Haines's direction, the screenplay, and particularly the performances of Hurt, Matlin, and Laurie. The film grossed $101.5 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget. It received five nominations at the 59th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (for Hurt), Best Supporting Actress (for Laurie), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress (for Matlin). At age 21, Matlin became the youngest Best Actress winner as well as the first deaf winner in Oscar history. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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