[Audio: English; Captions: none]

There are no captions on this trailer, but none are needed (there’s some description of the audio below) — it’s very clear what is going on. This is a trailer for a longer movie (8 minutes or so) that is being shown in various venues (and until then, isn’t being released in its entirety on the internet — doing that would disqualify it from some film festivals and screenings that it is currently entered in).

I think it will be interesting to watch when it is more widely released — or if you are attending one of the festivals it is in, to watch it. It’s not so much about being deaf, I think, but about reacting to isolation and the wish to control one’s own circumstances. It also speaks to the essential truth that confronting things about oneself can create irrevocable change. (I am reminded of a classic koan: “If you see the Buddha, kill him.”) The subject matter & cinemetography work together very well for this film and the ending can be interpreted a number of different ways (I’m still chewing on it). I should probably try to listen to the audio and see if added background noises give it a different dimension — for example is there a tone to the lion’s roar that gives more of a clue to its state of mind? When it is published in full later on, I’ll post it up here.

From the trailer:

Synopsis Max is a seven-year-old deaf boy growing up in the 1960s. One day he goes on a school trip to the zoo, where he sees a lion for the first time. A feeling begins to grow inside him that will change his life forever.

Via fydeafies@tumblr; captions/description from surelock@tumblr:

Quick and dirty captions, since they aren’t provided: Opening and hand gestures: jungle noises (animals making calls, etc) and white noise. Just before the dad appears: sound of a door opening and white noise. When the hearing aid is put on: feedback throughout, echo-y yelling from the mom (sounds like “come on, hurry up, you’re going to be late!”), and then the sound of a bus starting.

Two years later: