with three extraordinary deaf actors playing
the deaf family members. Matlin’s well-
documented talent (she’s the only deaf actor
to win an Oscar) is matched here by a terrific
Troy Kotsur as her randy, jubilant husband
Frank, and by a sensitive Daniel Durant as
temperamental older brother Leo.
The film begins on a commercial fishing
boat, which is how the Rossi family of
Gloucester, Massachusetts, earns a living.
Ruby, a high-school senior, begins her
mornings at 3 a.m. on that boat, serving
as both deckhand and interpreter with the
hearing world. Then she goes to school,
where she promptly falls asleep.
Naturally, Ruby’s parents rely on her. That
in itself creates tension. She’s needed for
every business meeting, every doctor’s
appointment. In just one of many lovely
comedic scenes, a doctor tells Ruby’s parents
that, for reasons we won’t get into here,
they can’t have sex for two weeks. Ruby
mischievously translates that to: “You can
never have sex again.” (Then she admits to
her shocked parents that it’s just two weeks.
They’re shocked at that, too.)
Another funny moment finds Leo swiping on
Tinder at the dinner table. When someone
complains that it might not be the most
appropriate dinner activity, a reply comes:
“Tinder is something we can do as a family.”
The joke, though, runs deep. Being a hearing
person separates Ruby in many ways from
the others. For example: she wants to sing
in the school choir. Granted, it’s because a
boy she likes is joining. But when Ruby tells