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Children of a Lesser God

Play trailer 1:25 Poster for Children of a Lesser God R 1986 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Starting his new job as an instructor at a New England school for the deaf, James Leeds meets Sarah Norman, a young deaf woman who works at the school as a member of the custodial staff. A romance slowly develops between the pair in spite of Sarah's withdrawn emotional state due in part to her difficult relationship with her mother.
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Children of a Lesser God

Children of a Lesser God

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Critics Consensus

Children of a Lesser God transcends its transparently noble goals thanks to a pair of absorbing performances from William Hurt and Marlee Matlin.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald Jan 22
More than most, the movie depends on high-pitched, sustained performances by its central characters. I think both are superb. Go to Full Review
Richard Schickel TIME Magazine 03/16/2011
Children of a Lesser God, though given a handsome openness in Director Haines' production, cannot transcend the banalities of the play. But Matlin does. She is, one might say, a miracle worker. Go to Full Review
Pat Graham Chicago Reader 03/16/2011
Hurt seems to be bucking for at least two Oscar nominations here: one for his performance, the other for best echo effects by an interpreter of signed speech. Go to Full Review
Noah Berlatsky Splice Today 04/15/2024
Randa Haines’ 1986 Children of a Lesser God was the first Oscar Best Picture nominee directed by a woman. It’s an appropriate first; the movie’s about a woman finding her voice and self. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 11/07/2021
4/5
...smarter than you might remember. Locating an issue in male control, and setting her heroine against that control, Children of a Lesser God has a message that's relevant to MeToo... Go to Full Review
Nicole Ackman FF2 Media 02/02/2021
2.5/5
'Children of a Lesser God' blazed a trail for representation but doesn't hold up today Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Kyle M Sep 19 Before “CODA” when it comes to cinema representing particular minorities, this is one of the more special portraits towards the deaf community with an absolute, engaging heart through feel-good complications – though rarely misleads on a handicapped degree, bolstered by William Hurt in one of his best performances whilst outshined by Marlee Matlin’s impactful performance. (B+) See more Robert R @RobertRiley Sep 18 Its heart was definitely in the right place at the time, but it just doesn't age all that well after forty years. That said, it's damn near impossible for a movie like this to do so and this may very well have been partly responsible for great strides made within and around the deaf community, so at least there's that. Also, you have Marlee Matlin's Academy-Award-winning work to behold here, so this isn't to be written off entirely in any regard. I just think things kind of hit the skids once we steer into William Hurt's character lamenting about how hard it is to date the deaf woman he's spent a quarter of the movie pining for. C'mon, man lol. I just think there was a better way to approach this kind of interaction without the able-bodied person coming off as whiny or spoiled (and this kind of thing doesn't even typically bother me in media, so you know it's a little over the top here). Still, I admire the attempt and the acting alone is undeniably worth the look. See more Iron Boy W Jun 23 Paramount pictures realeses blu ray 4k version sonomex Spanish audio please See more Leaburn O 08/14/2024 If you want a top Best Picture film about being deaf, then watch the sound of metal. Avoid this severely drab, dull, boring, stilted, overly dramatised snooze fest. Really poor film. Painful to watch. Saw it on DVD. See more Gertrude F 12/28/2023 This movie is far from perfect, but the story is beautiful and left me speechless at the end, so that makes up for its various flaws. I agree with those who didn't like how hurt's character says everything out loud, BUT, it does kind of symbolise the divide between the two "worlds" that the characters live within. What annoys me the most is that the movie had so much potential to be better. They could have added silent scenes so that we get to experience Sarah's perspective too, not just James's. But I love this movie and It completely changed how I look at deafness. I was very touched. The music was great, too. See more 10/05/2022 Okay. I found the hearing characters constantly translating everything the female lead signed incredibly annoying. It made it feel like she didn't have her own voice. Would have been better with subtitles. See more Read all reviews
Children of a Lesser God

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Children of a Lesser God

Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - I Don't Hurt From Other People Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - I Don't Hurt From Other People 2:12 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - A Dark Place Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - A Dark Place 2:11 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Never Come Inside My Silence Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Never Come Inside My Silence 2:14 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - You Want to Dance? Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - You Want to Dance? 2:13 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Picking Up Hearing Girls Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Picking Up Hearing Girls 1:54 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Love in the Pool Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Love in the Pool 2:15 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Forgive Me Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Forgive Me 2:00 Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Not in Silence...And Not In Sound Children of a Lesser God: Official Clip - Not in Silence...And Not In Sound 2:10 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Starting his new job as an instructor at a New England school for the deaf, James Leeds meets Sarah Norman, a young deaf woman who works at the school as a member of the custodial staff. A romance slowly develops between the pair in spite of Sarah's withdrawn emotional state due in part to her difficult relationship with her mother.
Director
Randa Haines
Producer
Burt Sugarman, Patrick J. Palmer
Screenwriter
Hesper Anderson, Mark Medoff
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 3, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.8M
Runtime
1h 59m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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