Children of a Lesser God

A school for the deaf on a Maine island with William Hurt and Marlee Matlin

A teacher (William Hurt) moves to coastal Maine to work at a school for the deaf on an island where he becomes interested in a striking, but disturbed janitor (Marlee Matlin), who was once a student there.

"Children of a Lesser God" (1986) is part celestial and mundane; beautiful and profane. Thankfully theres more beauty. The Northeast coastal locations are wonderful and Hurt makes for a worthy protagonist while expertly pulling off a difficult role. Marlee Matlin is an exquisite revelation without which the movie wouldve failed.

Everything builds to a stunning dramatic scene in the second half, which is expertly executed. Unfortunately, the couple h...

Acclaimed teacher "James" (William Hurt) arrives at a school for the deaf where his very "hands on" techniques rather shake the established order of superintendent "Franklin" (Philip Bosco). His pupils make good progress, though, as his methods start to encourage them to speak more and act with much more confidence amidst each other and amongst the talking community at large. Soon they playing a bit of second fiddle to the enigmatic "Sarah" (Marlee Matlin). She's now the school caretaker and has a reputation as a bit stand-offish and temperamental, but it turns out that she, too, is deaf and that she has also been in this establishment for over twenty years. Most people around the place just put up with her, but he determines to try to get ...