The Silent Child | Oscar® Winning Short Film

Watching everyone talk and laugh at the dinner table without interacting with Libby broke my heart! How lonely she must be

It's sad how the brother seemed more interested in Libby's signing than the parents did. He genuinely looked amazed when she signed orange juice

I am Libby. 45 years ago. I was diagnosed at age 4 but my mom and my great aunt were born deaf/hard of hearing. They were forced to go to hearing mainstream schools. Both dropped out in high school because back then there were no supports for Deaf/deaf children. It was "sink or swim". I was forced as well and my mom always forced me to "pass" for hearing, no matter how hard, lonely, or even physically painful and tiring it was. I was never allowed to learn sign language and never encouraged to meet other Deaf children or adults. My own deaf mother made me feel ashamed and made me hide what I truly was. Today, my own deaf teenaged child is in a Deaf program in a good mainstream, learning with Deaf AND hearing peers, with signing and speaking teachers. We broke the cycle of shame and ignorance. I'm now an advocate and training to work with adults with disabilities. None of this would be possible without embracing my true Deaf self.

I've worked with deaf children from preschool through to high school and one student at university. Sadly, this short film represents fairly accurately what a lot of deaf kids go through. Busy parents, no time for Libby, I've seen it many times. If you're a parent watching this, please, please don't underestimate the power of communication. We all do it in different ways, so sign language is just another tool that can help the child and parents.

Heart breaking to see a child suffer like Libby, especially when she has an educated family. Shows that being educated isn’t enough in life, you need to be sensitive & compassionate too.

the amount of times the mom shouted goodbye while the daughter wasn't even facing her is infuriating.

Narcissistic parents often don't want the rejected child to succeed because they feel so much shame, because they themselves could not get the child to achieve anything. This is not just a story about a deaf child. It is a story about a deaf child in a narcissistic family constellation.

❤my little sister was born deaf. I attended night classes just so I could learn to talk to her with sign language…the rest of my family slowly followed. Deafness was hard bc children are children and are mean in middle school age but she had lots of support. The adults…us & administrators together made it our responsibility to offer support. Because of the bullying, we were able to create a curriculum that offered counseling and lessons on the subject matter. She is incredibly intelligent and finished school early but kept her behind bc they felt she wasn’t mature enough for college. We agreed that the mainstream schooling experience was tough but the real world is tougher. So again we rallied in support to get her ready. As she moved on to college she was accepted into an Ivy League university, got her Master’s Degree and now is an independent professional living on her own. Strong and Independent. It takes a village but our children are worth it ❤

"My ears are broken." wow that hit hard.

I almost cried when Libby signed "I love you" to the social worker! The little girl is adorable and an incredible actress!

My teacher showed this in my child development class today. I got tears when Libby signed, "I love you."

The dinner table scene had me crying because I know exactly what that feels like to be out of touch with everyone and you can't be a part of conversations. I'm not completely deaf but very hard of hearing, aids don't help much

Does she like the park? I haven't taken her there since she was tiny. Wow. That tells a lot.

Someone once said "Sign language is like a dance with words," and these children should embrace that, not learn to hate it.

This movie is about all the children whose needs are not seen by their parents, who became invisible in their households. I feel such a love for the woman whom tried her absolute best, regardless of what will happen to Libby… she knows from a very young age it is possible to be seen and loved. Only if it is only by one person.

As a Deaf 36 year old who is also a bilateral Cochlear implant recipient. I stand for Sign Language, Speech & Language Pathology and of course Deaf Culture. We must protect this! Deaf children deserve to participate in Sign Language & be able to feel included. I can relate to this short film and it's definitely heartbreaking!

I cried the moment the supporter signed " I love you" and went away.

The fact that her brother took the initiative to understand some signs and knew she was asking for orange juice is appreciable. Edit: Mom I'm famous. Thanks for the likes.

Also, I've got to say, that young lady who played Libby is a natural, excellent actress! She put me in mind of Dakota Fanning. Every shot was perfection. We'll be seeing more of her in the future. She was truly a wonderful actor. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

My heart breaks over the ignorance that permeates our society. This film should be required in all schools to educate and enlighten. It takes this kind of brilliance to break down the barriers of humanity’s ignorance. Thank you for breaking my heart open. ❤️