Summaries

Margaret Ryder has always looked after her deaf parents, Janice and Abel. Long the only contact her folks have had with the speaking world, Margaret struggles with whether she should strike out on her own or not. When Margaret decides to make a change and ends up getting married, her parents interpret the move as a betrayal -- and Margaret is forced to figure out a way to bridge her old life with her new one.—Jwelch5742

When Margaret Ryder, the hearing daughter of deaf parents, grows up during the Great Depression, she alone is the link between Mama and Papa's silent world and the hearing world they do not fully understand...and it does not understand them. Her youth is spent sacrificing friendships and romance as she struggles to keep her parents' deafness a secret from everyone who knows her. Torn between the responsibility she feels for her parents and her own desire for independence, Margaret quietly hides her growing resentment. When she falls in love and secretly marries a young soldier, Margaret finally breaks free, shattering her now tenuous relationship with her parents. Eventually Margaret and her parents realize that their love as a family is stronger than the differences that have separated them. A compelling vision of how courage, communication and understanding can reunite a family.

A young woman struggles with her own need for independence and the obligation she feels for her deaf parents in this depression-era drama. A friend sees her turmoil and tells her she must find happiness on her own. However, the initial joy she finds in marriage starts to strain under the guilt she feels for deserting her parents and the bitterness they express towards her.—John Sacksteder <[email protected]>

Details

Keywords
  • guilt
  • marriage
  • deaf
  • deaf parent
  • child translates for adult
Genres
  • Drama
Release date Dec 8, 1985
Countries of origin United States
Language English American Sign Language
Filming locations Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Production companies Telepictures Productions Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions Marian Rees Associates

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 40m
Color Color
Sound mix Stereo
Aspect ratio 1.33 : 1

Synopsis

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