It’s hard to imagine losing your hearing late into adult life. Though it is rare, this does happen. In fact, roughly 5 percent of adults over the age of 40 experience disabling hearing loss, and that number increases with older age. Now imagine being on the verge of becoming deaf, but hearing is crucial to your career and passion in life. Such is the plot of Concerto for Abigail.
Samantha Porter (Monica Young) is a renowned jazz pianist who leads a three-piece jazz ensemble with her namesake. An upright bass player and a clarinetist accompany her. Pressure is on Samantha to tour Europe and take her group to the next level, but for the time being, she is content establishing a short-term residency at a small venue.
Meanwhile, Samantha is confronted with a new personal battle. She has noticed sporadic difficulties in hearing recently. She gets tests from her doctor confirming she is suffering rapid hearing loss. The doctor informs Samantha that no treatments or technology can help stop the hearing loss, and she will continually progress towards deafness.
On the opening night of the residency, Samantha is approached by Abigail (Andrea Bogart), a superfan of her music, for an autograph. The two get chatting and end up having dinner together after the concert. The attraction is mutual, and a blossoming relationship between Samantha and Abigail takes root. Samantha now has a musical career, a sensory impairment, and a new love interest to balance in her life. Will she be able to keep things afloat, or will things come crashing to the ground?
“Samantha now has a music career, a sensory impairment, and a new love interest to balance in her life.”
Concerto for Abigail has what I like to call “Hallmark movie charm”—plenty of it! Writer/Director Jan Miller Corran knows her audience. At about an hour and twenty minutes, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s an easy watch with likable characters and a thoughtful plot.
The two lead actresses have fantastic chemistry and are enjoyable to watch. Samantha and Abigail are believable as a couple and seem very natural together when they are on screen. The second half of Concerto for Abigail leans more into the growing love story between these two and less on Samantha’s musical career.
The hearing loss plot of Concert for Abigail is weak but present. It acts as a source of tension in Samantha’s professional and private life. Occasionally, sound is altered so the viewer can relate to what Samantha is experiencing, but I think there was a missed opportunity here. Recent films like Sound of Metal and A Quiet Place have incorporated audio manipulation to engross their viewers in the story and the characters. I wish Concert for Abigail had tried harder to do something similar.
Though the story is sad, the tone of the film is optimistic. It aims to inspire and leave you feeling hopeful for the future of Samantha as a musician and for the future of her relationship with Abigail. Concert for Abigail is the perfect sort of film to watch while cozying up with a bottle of wine some evening.
"…imagine being on the verge of becoming deaf..."
