Sally Matlin Speech

Marlee Matlin plays a Deaf woman, Sarah Lee, whose damaging family experience has caused her to become so angry that even though she is an intelligent, sassy, independent woman, she prefers to mop floors in her old school.
Jim Leeds, portrayed by William Hurt, begins teaching speech and language at a residential facility for deaf children. Jim's teaching methods are effective, but unorthodox. I have to admire any teacher who allows an older teen student to call him disgusting names to his face, as long as the words are pronounced correctly. He is immediately intrigued by beautiful Sarah, a witty and prickly alumnus who works as a cleaning woman at the school. They become lovers, but their relationship is marred by expectations on both sides. Jim really is all about sound. The posters in his tiny home all feature musicians or musical instruments. He loves the music of Bach passionately. His career is about bringing speech to non-speakers. Sarah is totally deaf and revels in her silence. She rejects any effort to get her to speak, and the viewer is shown the reasons for this. In the only scene where she makes sound, the result is devastating.
Her expressions and body language said so much more than her words. You could tell she really loved Sarah and was frustrated that she didn't really understand her. She also had a little bit of the "bury your head in the sand" approach to Sarah's deafness. Jim translates most of the signed language by speaking out loud when he signs or is signed to. This causes the scenes when he does not do this to give the viewer a sense of being shut out, and is very effective. As a hearing speaker in love with a deaf non-speaker, Jim makes promises he can't keep. Sarah, in spite of her tough demeanor, is actually very