Marlee Matlin was thrust into limelight after she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Children of a Lesser God. It was a historic win, as she was the first deaf actor to ever win. The year was 1987. The actor's moment on stage appears multiple times in the insightful new documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year. Directed by Shoshannah Stern, who is also hearing impaired, this a thoughtful, good-natured and detailed insight into the life of a woman who has survived the world of Hollywood, and fought for rights of the deaf community for her entire life. (Also read: Omaha review: A tremendous John Magaro drives this wrenching family drama)
The premise
The documentary feels very lived-in and specific, with the director sharing the frame with the actor, feet up on the sofa, laughing and interacting with each other as Marlee takes the viewer through the years. Family members, directors Randa Haines and Aaron Sorkin, and the actor's interpreter Jack Jason share details about their association over the years. As traditional as the flow of this documentary begins to show here, Stern maneuvers the journey of the actor through specific contexts.
This works wonderfully as we see the same Oscar clip twice, one in which she creates history, and the second time when she shares how her heart sank when she was presented the award from then-boyfriend William Hurt. Marlee and William had fallen in love while working on the film, and the film does not shy away from showing the abusive and toxic relationship that the two shared. Then there was the often insensitive media coverage after the film released, with many pointing out that hers was a sympathy pick, and that even after her Oscar win she might be limited in her career as an actor because of her hearing impediment.
What works
{{/usCountry}}This works wonderfully as we see the same Oscar clip twice, one in which she creates history, and the second time when she shares how her heart sank when she was presented the award from then-boyfriend William Hurt. Marlee and William had fallen in love while working on the film, and the film does not shy away from showing the abusive and toxic relationship that the two shared. Then there was the often insensitive media coverage after the film released, with many pointing out that hers was a sympathy pick, and that even after her Oscar win she might be limited in her career as an actor because of her hearing impediment.
What works
{{/usCountry}}This act of contextualization, of looking back and interrogating the moments and perspectives of the actor's public life, gives this documentary a much-needed vitality. There is a lot to cover, given Marlee has had such a radical life in the public eye. Her relationship with her mother, and the difficult years of growing up alienated in the family could possibly have made for a separate documentary. These elements are threaded in the documentary with a steady flow by editor Sara Newens.
Marlee's first-person account in American Sign Language ensures she tells her life story on her own terms. She reveals she was upset when she was not able to share a few words after CODA won Best Picture at the Oscars a few years ago. She admits there will always be a fight- to be seen, to be included in the conversation, to be lead by example. Language, as she says, will forever be a weapon she will have to work doubly hard to use for her credit. This a moving, important document that serves as a reminder of what it takes to be trailblazer.
Santanu Das is covering Sundance Film Festival 2025 as part of the accredited press.