Children of a Lesser God, the deafness drama loved by the Oscars – and hated by the deaf
Before Sound of Metal, the film that won Marlee Matlin a Best Actress Oscar was seen as a triumph for the deaf community. But was it?
William Hurt and Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God
Credit: Alamy
The six Oscar nominations this year for Sound of Metal make it the most broadly acclaimed film on the subject of deafness in 35 years. While gladly welcomed by most critics, Darius Marder’s rehab drama hasn’t reached these heights without complaints from some members of the deaf community – especially for the use of hearing actors, Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci, in both its nominated roles.
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From Envelopegate to the deaf children who weren t deaf, here we remember the Oscar disasters the Academy would rather forget
21 April 2021 • 2:52pm
La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz announces the correct winner of Best Picture, while Warren Beatty looks on uncomfortably.
The first time the Oscars went host-free, in 1989, it ruined at least two careers. In 2019, following the Kevin Hart omnishambles, the Academy tried it again with rather more success.
Once again, this year s Oscars will be hostless. Instead, the awards will be presented by some of the best in the film industry, including a selection of winners from the 2020 awards including Brad Pitt, Renée Zellweger and Bong Joon-Ho.