Disabilities are something that we do not see very often on the silver screen. For all of the talk of representation in Hollywood, the deaf are a group that is still not represented much aside from indie movies such as the Oscar-winning CODA and Marvel’s Daredevil. Director Toni Comas and writer Jason Furlani’s independent film Silent Notes, starring real-life deaf actor Daniel Durant as the main character Bruce, gives us a glimpse into the daily challenges that he faces while also being a gay love story and mobster thriller.
When I was a teenager, my next-door neighbors were a group of young deaf people living under one roof. I can recall playing basketball with them on my hoop. There was a situation where my friends and I were laughing, and the deaf team mistakenly thought it was directed at them. They started to play physically and foul us hard as if we were playing against the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons of the 1990s, letting their anger out from their unique experiences.
One of the many reasons I love film so much is that it can let us into worlds that we would never know otherwise. Silent Notes utilizes a really cool trick that I also noticed in CODA: it lets the audience experience, at times, the same distorted sounds and silence that Bruce hears. Letting us walk in his shoes is such a formidable way of getting to know the character.
“…Bruce learns that he needs a hearing device that is not covered by insurance and will cost around $120,000…”
That is why when Bruce learns that he needs a hearing device that is not covered by insurance and will cost around $120,000, we can understand his desperation, which led him to choose to work as a gangster delivery man to make a lot of cash quickly. Bruce’s other dilemma and a sweeter side of the movie is his love story with Ethan (Matt Riker), who coincidentally also happens to be a gangster. We see notes from Bruce about how the relationship is progressing, and written thoughts such as longing to be able to hear his voice. The film does a good job of also showing us Ethan’s awkward side of navigating the relationship, with things like Ethan trying to tell his boisterous mother about his relationship, who immediately thinks about telling their church.
Durant is extremely sympathetic due to being so good at letting the audience into his pain and loneliness. You root for Bruce to find what he’s looking for because of the stellar job by Durant to emote it so well on screen. The chemistry with Matt Riker is the other element that makes it all work because Riker is similar to a nervous Peter Parker type, while Durant gives off the strong, silent-type vibe, and they mesh well together.
Everyone here is just so darn lovable, even the “bad guy” mobsters Carmine (Furlani) and Auggie (Theodore Bouloukos). There’s a sequence in the third act where Bruce’s deafness is a weakness with his mob job, but unfortunately, other than that, there’s not a ton of plot tension besides some minor relationship issues. Overall, Silent Notes gives us a look into multiple worlds in an entertaining way.
"…gives us a look into multiple worlds in an entertaining way."
