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Children of a Lesser God

6.4

4,366

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Original title: Children of a Lesser God
Year: 1986
Running time: 118 min.
Country: United States
Director: Randa Haines
Screenwriter: Mark Medoff, Hesper Anderson. Play: Mark Medoff
Music: Michael Convertino
Cinematography: John Seale
Cast: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco, E. Katherine Kerr, Allison Gompf, Linda Bove, James Carrington, María Cellario
Producer: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama | Melodrama. Deafness. Education. Schools & University
Synopsis: James is a new speech teacher at a school for the deaf. He falls for Sarah, a pupil who decided to stay on at the school rather than venture into the big bad world. She shuns him at first, refusing to read his lips and only using signs. Will her feelings change over time?

Awards: 1986: Oscar: Best Actress (Marlee Matlin). 5 Nominations

1986: BAFTA Awards: Nominated Best Screenplay - Adapted

1986: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

1986: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay

1987: Berlin Film Festival: Silver Bear - Outstanding Artistic Contribution

1986: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Nominated for Best Actress (Matlin)

Critics' reviews

"'Children of a Lesser God' is a good but not a great movie (...) a competent, professional docudrama. It could have been more (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"A heart-pounding love story -- the most passionately performed since Officer and a Gentleman."

Rita Kempley: The Washington Post
"[It] is like being on a cruise to nowhere aboard a ship with decent service (...) Everything has been carefully programmed so that there are no surprises, no discoveries"

Vincent Canby: The New York Times
"What makes 'Children of a Lesser God' come so poignantly alive is its understanding of the psychology of close relationships between the hard of hearing and 'normal' people."

Kevin Thomas: Los Angeles Times
"The film often makes for crackling good drama with plenty of leavening humor and magnificent performances by Hurt and newcomer Matlin."

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