PARK CITY, Utah — Marlee Matlin provided a candid insight into her life as a deaf performer in the revealing documentary titled “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.” This film marked the opening of the 41st Sundance Film Festival, making its debut at the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah, on Thursday.
Following the screening, attendees, visibly moved, gave Matlin a standing ovation as she took to the stage.
The documentary explores numerous facets of her existence, both personally and professionally. It highlights her childhood, detailing how her family coped with her loss of hearing at the age of 18 months. It also covers her significant achievement in winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in “Children of a Lesser God,” as well as her tumultuous relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, who denied allegations of abuse. Furthermore, it addresses her challenges within an industry that often lacks provisions for deaf actors.
Directed by Shoshanna Stern, who is also deaf, the documentary was developed after Matlin specifically requested her for the project when American Masters expressed interest in producing a film about her.
In the past, Matlin has detailed her personal struggles in her memoir, “I’ll Scream Later,” discussing her difficult relationship with Hurt and her experiences with drugs. However, she felt that before the #MeToo movement, her claims were frequently overlooked or not taken seriously.
Media interviews during her book tour often focused on the alleged passionate encounters she described with Hurt, rather than on her accounts of purported emotional and physical abuse. One reporter even questioned her about the timing of her revelations.
The film transcends being a personal narrative, offering a broader examination of deaf culture and the circumstances that thrust Matlin into the public eye, where she became an unintentional spokesperson for deaf rights.
As the first, and for many years the only, deaf actor to win an Academy Award until Troy Kotsur’s win for “CODA” in 2022, Matlin also played a role in advocating for closed captioning in Congress and was involved in the significant Gallaudet University protests against the hiring of hearing individuals in leadership roles, which is explored in another Sundance documentary, “Deaf President Now!”
Matlin faced criticism when she presented the Best Actor Oscar the year after her win, an event that distanced her from participating in deaf advocacy for a time.
The documentary features poignant interviews with her longtime interpreter and significant figures in her life, including actor Henry Winkler. Winkler first encountered Matlin when she was a 12-year-old student performing in a school play after she had written him a fan letter. He even provided her shelter for two years following her split from Hurt and was present at her wedding. Matlin credits Winkler for inspiring her decision to pursue acting, although he modestly disagrees.
The film incorporates closed captions and verbal translations for viewers who can hear. Interestingly, Stern interviewed the subjects through an earpiece, allowing them to access translations from another room.
Matlin has sometimes struggled to persuade the industry to allow her to take on roles that are not specifically designated for deaf actors. Aaron Sorkin, who created a character for her in “The West Wing,” argued against the notion that writing for deaf talent is particularly challenging.
When it came to the production of “CODA,” the studio initially sought a well-known hearing male lead to star alongside Matlin, but she made it clear she would not participate unless a deaf actor was cast. She felt rewarded when Kotsur won the Oscar, justifying the documentary’s subtitle, “not alone anymore.” However, she expressed disappointment at not being able to speak a few words during the awards ceremony.
When asked about the timing of her documentary, Matlin humorously remarked, “It’s never really the right time. So, why not?”
