Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I first saw this film when it was in theatrical release in the eighties and fell in love with it. The subject matter is a touchy subject -- all too often, films where a main character is disabled, they're shown as saintly and otherworldly, without too much of a human touch.

This one, thankfully, does not fall into that trap. There's very little bathos in this film, very little mawkish sentimentality.

Set in Maine, this is the story about a teacher for the deaf, who comes to a new job, a new school. He's a little bit off kilter, James is (ably played by William Hurt). He's got radical ideas about teaching deaf kids, and especially how to push their own limits and to get out into the 'hearing' world -- and on their terms to boot.

And in this school, he meet Sara. Sara is a deaf young woman with a very troubled past, and she attracts James' attention. Despite all cautions, he falls for her, and she for him. Their relationship is stormy, beset by his desire to have her speak, and her refusal to face the outside world on anything but her own terms. Something that James, for all of his openmindedness, stubbornly refuses to see. The ending is great too, bring a hanky, you're going to need it -- I never fail to choke up at the end of the film.

It's a great little romance, with some very important things to say about ourselves. The imagry is great, especially those of Sarah swimming in the pool and loving shots of the Maine scenery; also I found James' attempt to show Sarah what a piece of music would look like in sign to be very touching. The secondary characters are well-drawn, especially the children that James is teaching, and his associates in the school.

The only jarring bit is Hurt's verbal translations of Sarah's signing, but it's a necessity, given that most of us don't know ASL (American Sign Language). It's not that badly handled, and you don't notice it after a while.

This film won for Marlee Maitlin an Oscar, and very well-deserved it is too. She said more in this film than a great many other actresses without speaking a word.

Some sex and nudity, so be careful about having your kids watch it. But important for what it says for those among us who are living with a handicap.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older