Gripping ‘Deaf President’ captures sign of the times
There’s a fascinating irony involved in a hearing-impaired contingent vying to be heard by hearing folks who’ve turned a deaf ear. It’s even more compelling seeing them prevail, as they do triumphantly in the Apple TV+ doc, “Deaf President Now!,” chronicling the student takeover of Gallaudet University in March 1988.
From the get-go, co-directors Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) and Nyle DiMarco (an executive producer on the Oscar-nominated short, “Audible”) grab your attention with the shocking fact that Gallaudet is the only all-deaf college in the world. In the world! A more startling fact is that in its then 124-year history, the Washington, D.C., institution had never been governed by a deaf president, a slight the student body had hoped would be rectified when the college board of trustees gathered to select a new chancellor.
There was an excellent chance of that occurring, with two of the three finalists being deaf. But almost predictably, the board members, none of them deaf, selected Elisabeth Zinser, a former nurse with no connection to the deaf community and zero knowledge of sign language.
Naturally, the students went ballistic and instantly called out the board chairman, Jane Bassett Spilman, also unable to sign. Not surprisingly, their protests were summarily dismissed. But this time, the young men and women fought back. Led by what would become known as the Gallaudet Four – Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Jerry Covell and Tim Rarus – students who coalesced and organized on the spot, chaining shut the entrances and strategically situating school buses at gates vulnerable to siege.
What ensued is the subject of this superb documentary, which effectively interweaves interviews with the Gallaudet Four with archival footage, recreations and black and white photos. It helps immensely that Hlibok, Bourne-Fril, Covell and Rarus are all so affable and animated, as unseen actors translate their signed accounts. We also hear from I. King Jordan, the school’s Dean of Arts and Sciences, who would eventually become its president in the wake of the tense standoff between the students and the designated villain, Spilman. But that ascension came at a cost, with Jordan being publicly humiliated after Spilman attempts to use him as her pawn.
You feel for him intensely. But, oddly enough, you also empathize with Spilman, especially when she’s forced to eat crow and acknowledge the error of her ways. The elicitation of such compassion has become a trademark of Guggenheim, who won an Oscar after partnering with Al Gore on “An Inconvenient Truth.” Here, he teams with DiMarco, a member of the deaf community known for his staunch advocacy for the rights of the hearing-impaired. Together, they create an inclusive portrait that inventively uses silence to help us better understand what it means to be deaf. Might another Oscar be coming Guggenheim’s way?
We shall see, but “Deaf President Now!” emerged from the Sundance Film Festival as a leading contender. And it’s going to take quite an effort to topple it, given how engrossing and moving a tale it tells. How rousing to bear witness to the courage and determination summoned by a group of 20-something kids as they overturn the centuries-old notion that the deaf need “fixing.” They are perfect just the way they are, thank you, happy to do all their communicating with their hands.
As a member of the autism community, I can identify. Like the deaf, people on the spectrum don’t need “fixing.” They need understanding and affirmation of their neurodivergence. But even the “normal” folks will dig “Deaf President Now!” for its “Rocky”-like saga about the little guy felling a Goliath. And don’t be surprised if you connect the spirit of the Gallaudet Four with today’s resistance movements.
If there’s a lesson to be gleaned, it’s to never doubt your power to effect change. Always fight for what you believe in, no matter the consequences. It’s a point, “Deaf President Now!” drives home with the utmost passion. And, boy, does it resonate.
Movie review
Deaf President Now!
Rated: Not rated
Featuring: Former Gallaudet University student activists Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Jerry Covell and Tim Rarus
Directors: Davis Guggenheim and Nyle DiMarco
Runtime: 100 minutes
Where: In theaters (limited) and streaming on Apple TV+ on May 16
Grade: A-
