What They Say:
A coming of age film about the unlikely connection between a teen in need and a DeafBlind man. It is the first film ever to feature a DeafBlind actor in a lead role.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Although there are several Oscar-nominated shorts this year that focus on how different people clash (and those stories are worth telling, I want to add), it was refreshing to see a short that shows us how similar we are when we take a few minutes to spend time with one another. “Feeling Through” follows the unlikely meeting between two people who couldn’t be more different. On one hand, you have a young, black teen who is concerned about where he is going to sleep that night. On the other you have a white man who is both blind and deaf, standing on the street while holding a sign asking complete strangers to help him get home. What is that man doing there? What kind of help could this young teen give him?
Though we get answers to these questions, they are less important than the feelings you experience as you watch these two form a bond with one another. Particularly in the way they manage to communicate with one another touched me on a level that is difficult to put into words. Heck, part of the reason for that may be because communication must happen without words, and more unique ways to talk to one another. For some, the subject matter may seem too ‘Hollywood’ and say that ‘this isn’t how things work.’ Having never met someone who is deaf and blind, I myself can’t tell you how I would react. What the film presents though is the idea that anyone – regardless of color, handicap, and different worlds – can find common ground with one another.
In Summary:
Again, I don’t want to diminish the shorts that show the ugly side of life and how easy it comes for people from different backgrounds to hate each other. That truth must also be shared and those views must also be expressed. By that same token…ah, maybe I’m an optimist, but I believe at the end of the day, it’s easier for us to love one another than hate, and “Feeling Through” makes for a great reminder that that love can come from anyone!
Grade: A
Streamed By: iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo
This short has been nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards!
