©Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival

Nearly 40 years after her groundbreaking breakout film role, for which she was he first deaf performer to win an Oscar, Marlee Matlin’s career and hearing-impaired identity is finally receiving the recognition she deserves. The new documentary, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore shares how the challenges of language deprivation has both allowed and hindered her ability to thrive in her work and overall life.

Matlin’s struggle with language deprivation, which describes the extra work a hearing impaired person must do to gather information, is brought to the screen by fellow deaf actress, Shoshannah Stern, in her feature film directorial debut. The duo previously worked together on the Sundance Now series This Close, which adds to their camaraderie on screen in the movie as Stern profiles Matlin’s life.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore chronicles the titular actress’ journey before and after becoming the first Deaf performer to win an Academy Award in 1987. She was honored for her role of Sarah Norman, a janitor in a school for the deaf, in the screen adaptation of the play Children of a Lesser God.

As a result, she was thrust into the international spotlight at only 21 years old. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, Matlin explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer.

The actress contemplates how while she was heralded by the media for her career-making performance, she was never truly understood. The problem she faced after playing Sarah in Children of a Lesser God, there weren’t many other obvious parts the actress could take on by the 1990s. However, she finally proved her lasting legacy yet again when she played the protagonist’s mother in CODA (short for child of deaf adult), won three Oscars, including Best Picture, in 2022.

Stern intimately enters into Matlin’s triumphs and struggles by appearing in the documentary as an onscreen figure, conducting an animated conversation entirely in American Sign Language as they sit facing each other on a couch. Their discussion is translated into color-coded subtitles to help the hearing-able understand what the two women are saying to each other.

The rest of the film also translates American Sign Language through interpretation and spoken word. That inclusion helps emphasize the ways that deaf people move through a world catered to the hearing, and the challenges they also face in the process.

One of the movie’s most noteworthy passages chronicles how Matlin was even criticized by some people for what they considered her to be catering to the hearing community; she used her voice to speak, instead of signing, when she presented the Best Actor Oscar the year after she won her own award. The backlash proves that the actress has regrettably never been able to please everyone in both the deaf and hearing communities.

Another painful period in the actress’ life after she won her Academy Award, which should have been an entirely positive experience, was the romantic relationship she embarked on with her co-star, William Hurt. The film chronicles the actress’ harrowing recollection of the abuse she experienced from him, despite him rebutting those claims up until his death in 2022.

One benefit that Matlin experienced during her romance with Hurt was the actor hiring her interpreter, Jack Johnson, who has accompanied her for most of her public engagements. The actress has remained lifelong friends with Johnson, who shared thoughtful insights about the challenges she has endured, including ending her relationship with Hurt and getting sober.

Besides Johnson, Stern also shares interviews with many of Matlin’s other friends and relatives, including her brothers, who struggled at times to support her, as she was the only deaf person in their family. The documentary emotionally notes that she unexpectedly lost her hearing when she was only 18 months old for reasons that were never determined.

Being the only member in her immediate family to have lost her hearing, the actress immediately became determined to raise awareness about helping the deaf community through her new public platform after she first won her Oscar. Through archive footage, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore illustrates her advocacy for deaf rights, including her fight to make closed captioning mandatory on all television networks.

The movie also chronicles the the 1988 battle over the appointment of a non-deaf president for Gallaudet University, which is America’s premier university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. the actress was among the supporters and students who urged the school to appoint its first deaf president, I. King Jordan.

Besides Matlin’s thoughtful and profound presence, Stern also makes includes inspired insights about the Academy Award winner from her colleagues. Aaron Sorkin, who cast Matlin on The West Wing, was a stellar inclusion to discuss the subtleties of language. Her CODA co-star, Troy Kotsur, discussed about she supported him when became the second deaf actor to win an Oscar. Lauren Ridloff, who took on Matlin’s role in a 2018 Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God, also reflected on how the latter is an inspiration for deaf actresses as they set out to be valued and appreciated for their work.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore is a powerful reflection on, and tribute to, the eponymous actress’ career. Stern shared that she was inspired to believe that a deaf woman like herself could also pursue a career in film and television after seeing Matlin win her Academy Award. Through the interweaving of Matlin’s first-person reflections and interviews from her friends and relatives, Stern’s directorial debut is an intimate and honest reflection on Matlin’s trailblazing career.

The women’s genuine connection allows them to explore the trials and tribulations of Matlin’s career. From her Oscar win early in her career, to her famously tumultuous high-profile romantic relationship, getting sober and repeatedly initiating improvements for her community, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore highlights the actress’ profound advancements in the deaf community.

Overall: A