Sound and Fury

SOUND & FURY is a documentary that examines the issues surrounding the controversial cochlear implant--the medical technology that, through an operation, allows deaf people to hear. The film follows the Artinian family--adult brothers Chris (hearing) and Peter (deaf), their wives and their children--living in Glen Cove Long Island. Over a two-year period, the camera pays witness to the pain, frustration, and conflicts they encounter as these parents research the pros and cons of giving their children (5-year-old Heather, and 1 1/2-year-old Peter) the operation. At the root of the argument against the operation is the fear that the deaf culture--and American Sign Language--would be lost entirely were the Cochlear implant to become a standard procedure administered to all deaf children. Arguments in favor of the procedure argue that a child who can hear with use of the cochlear implant could participate in hearing schools where they might learn more, learn faster, and never feel that they are disabled and different from other children. This film, with its passionate but entirely objective approach to this difficult subject, will change viewers' ideas about deafness, parenting, medical advancements, and will leave them pondering these ideas for a long time to come. Peter and Nita Artinian move their family (with daughter, Heather) to Frederick Maryland, which has a strong deaf community and deaf schools. (official distributor synopsis)