“I think it is a huge disservice to a vibrant community.” Flanagan said: “The conversation about inclusion and representation is a vital one” and he hopes that future projects of his can support in that effort. “There is a huge lack of representation,” she said. She realizes anything she’d say about why they cast a non-deaf actress is an excuse but factoring in how few disabled women are on-screen at all, Maddie remains a heroine many disabled and able-bodied fans. “I listen and I apologize…We were given a strong education when the film came out,” Siegel said. Flanagan and Siegel are open and apologetic about their decision to cast Siegel in the role and say it’s not a decision they’d make today. “I saw it with some of my deaf friends and we were pretty highly critical of it just because it didn’t feel real,” Simmonds told IndieWire.
#HUSH MOVIE MOVIE#
Deaf actress Millicent Simmonds of “A Quiet Place” called the movie inauthentic. Deaf blogger Rebecca-Anne Withey broke down many of the criticisms against the feature when it came out, most notably Siegel’s inconsistent use of ASL. He completely underestimates her.”īoth Flanagan and Siegel are open to criticisms against the movie, and they exist. “His ableism, his weaknesses, his belief that you have to be the same version of whole that he is in order to succeed that is what kills him. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard an interviewer ask me that question,” she said. When asking Siegel about how the masked villain, played by John Gallagher, Jr., in the feature preys on Maddie because of his own ableism, Siegel is surprised. If anything, both Flanagan and Siegel have been heartened to hear how many people with disabilities responded to “Hush,” both upon release in 2016 and now - and that includes disabled people outside of the deaf community.
It’s the filmic equivalent of person-first and identity-second. Maddie, for Siegel, could be any person who feels alone and who, in this case, happens to be deaf. “Something happened to her in the world left her feeling like nobody could hear her, like she couldn’t speak, like she couldn’t be heard,” she said. Siegel said she wasn’t necessarily trying to play the character to mimic the deaf experience, but instead focus on telling the story of a woman who isolated herself by choice. “What I could write about was being isolated or having your whole world changed based on one experience,” she said.
One of the key changes, according to Flanagan, that was made on the consultant’s suggestion was to change Maddie from being born deaf to being latent deaf. The consultant not only trained Siegel on ASL (American Sign Language) but also vetted the script. “We both did as much research as we could online but also enlisted a consultant who was deaf,” Flanagan said. Research was key, and both Flanagan and Siegel admit they knew they were limited by not being deaf themselves. “What was most important was that she wasn’t defined by what made her different,” Siegel told IndieWire. As Flanagan says, Siegel created the character of Maddie completely on her own, doing as much research as possible to create a figure that would be relatable in some way. It’s this trope, in particular, that director Flanagan and co-screenwriter Siegel wanted to avoid. “Hush” was something different to watch, especially as a disabled film lover who generally saw disabled women - what few existed - left as damsels in distress. Stuck in self-imposed isolation, Maddie soon discovers she is being hunted by a masked man who sees her deafness as proof positive of easy prey. In 2016 I discovered Mike Flanagan’s horror feature, “ Hush,” a film he said is inspired by “Wait Until Dark.” That features Kate Siegel as Maddie, a woman who, after a bout with meningitis, is made deaf.
#HUSH MOVIE PLUS#
New Movies: Release Calendar for August 12, Plus Where to Watch the Latest FilmsĮmmy Predictions: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Crudup vs. Mike Flanagan, Netflix Set Fifth Horror Series: Edgar Allan Poe's 'Fall of the House of Usher' The Very Real Monsters in Mike Flanagan's 'Midnight Mass'
0 kommentar(er)
