Deaf, a Spanish-language film directed by Eva Libertad, offers a poignant exploration of the challenges faced by a deaf mother navigating parenthood. The film stars Miriam Garlo, Libertad's own deaf sister, as Angela, a professional potter who is deaf and married to Hector, a hearing farmer. Their idyllic life begins to fray when Angela becomes pregnant, reawakening old prejudices from the hearing world.
The narrative, inspired by Andrew Solomon's concept of vertical and horizontal identities, delves into the tension between inherited traits and those that define us independently. Angela's deaf friends celebrate her pregnancy, sharing their own experiences, while her hearing mother expresses reservations, believing deafness to be a burden. This sets the stage for a series of subtle conflicts that escalate over time.
After a difficult birth, Angela struggles with depression and breastfeeding, and the uncertainty of whether her daughter Ona is deaf creates a rift. When they discover Ona can hear, a barrier forms between mother and child. Hector, though supportive, inadvertently excludes Angela by not always signing when communicating with Ona, relegating sign language to a secondary role.
Director Libertad masterfully uses sound design to foster empathy, turning down the audio to let viewers experience Angela's muffled world. The film becomes a powerful tool for understanding the isolation and microaggressions faced by deaf individuals. With nuanced performances, Deaf is a moving portrayal of the anxieties and joys of new motherhood, highlighting the silent struggles that can accompany it.
