Deaf President Now!
(USA, 101 minutes)
Dir. Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim
Programme: Premieres (World premiere)
In 1864, then-President Abraham Lincoln signed a congressional act that bestowed the right for a school named Gallaudet to grant college degrees, making it the first university-level school for the Deaf in the USA. More than a century later, the Washington D.C. area school remains unique worldwide, the only such academic institution entirely populated with students unable to hear.
While the 1960s saw mass demonstrations for civil rights, and the 1970s similar pushes for equal rights for women, freedom of choice of whom to love, etc., the flashpoint for Deaf people took place at the end of the “me” decade, where, in 1988, a number of brave, outspoken young members of Gallaudet’s faculty demanded change in the most vocal way possible.
Deaf President Now! brings this story to life decades later, centering upon the reflections of those involved. The central conflict began when the school’s board, under the leadership of a prim, arrogant woman of privilege named Jane Bassett Spilman, decided against two Deaf candidates for the school’s presidency in favour of medical academic Elizabeth Zinser.
The protests soon coalesced around four students, collectively known as the DPN4: Greg Hlibok, Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl and Tim Rarus. Along with I. King Jordan, one of the school’s deans and a candidate for president, they tell the tale of that tumultuous time from their own perspective, reminiscing at length at the battles that took place on the campus in order to implement change at this unique institution.
Davis Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind An Inconvenient Truth and the Emmy award-winning Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, co-directs the documentary with filmmaker, Deaf activist America’s Next Top Model winner Nyle DiMarco. Combined, they tell the story of this eight-day showdown with a mix of recreations, archival news footage, and contemporary interviews, all elements highlighting different facets of the events of the time.
The former student leaders are particularly charismatic, and time has been kind to the sense of self as they recollect with a mix of pride and humility about the roles they played. Each seems content to speak to their own perspectives but also to those of their fellow students, making even times when there were clear disagreements or clashes between egos come across as both truthful and deeply human. The cause may have been heroic, but these were real, fallible young people doing their best to channel the anger into action for the benefit of their classmates. It’s easy to see their early actions as continuing to deeply affect them decades later.
Similarly, the more complicated figure of I. King Jordan is granted a chance to better contextualise some of his own actions, illustrating how he too faltered at times during the school’s shutdown only to rise to the occasion when called upon to do so. This ability to move forward despite faltering is a key aspect of all of their stories, and from the tales of their parents and grandparents who lived with their deafness when it was considered as a burden to be hidden from general society, we see in each member of the DPN4 the now obvious conclusion that the time for segregation and belittlement should be kept in the past.
The actions of the board seem all that more clueless retroactively, but the thorny issues of identity politics are at least hinted at in the film to give it a broader, more nuanced perspective. While there couldn’t be a more palpably gormless individual as Basset Spilman—almost a caricature of the uptight rich woman treating the student body with a level of infantilism—others are given a little less time to make their case all these years later. Zinser, for example, is still alive, and the other candidate for president, also deaf, may have been a worthy subject to explore, making the eventual events slightly less telegraphed.
Of course, the political unrest on campus didn’t end in the late ’80s, and while the events from 2006 as part of the so-called Unity for Gallaudet Movement are, of course, extraneous to this film’s more narrow focus on the DPN protests, the prior actions illustrate that questions about inclusivity, and about who is connected about being “truly Deaf,” continue to the present day. Seeds of these divides appear alongside accounts of what transpired during the 1980s’ protest, but if there’s a niggling flaw in the film, it’s how it leaves a sense of closure that somewhat avoids what was to arise in the following years.
What’s quite effective is how the tools of cinema, both image and sound, are used to great effect to bring us through the experiences of those that were witness to these protests. From flashing lights to low-frequency sounds, the very feelings and sensations perceived by those that are not hearing are experienced vicariously for general audiences. Similarly, forced captions are employed to provide both accessibility and to make clear certain key points, and there’s a playfulness with the interviewees as they comment upon the microphones hanging down as per usual filmic practice.
While there’s a clear point of view regarding the politics of the individuals involved, there’s rarely a sense of anything approaching a polemic. Instead, we’re granted unique insight into what drove these individuals to stand up in front of their classmates and take on the board, to witness in both the historic footage and these new interviews the charisma, humour, and self-awareness of these individuals who were there when called upon to force change. Even know they don’t all fully agree on either the tactics used or the choices made, it’s clear that, despite their obvious differences, they share the victory that they helped bring about.
And despite any limitations in broadening the story to accommodate some of the perspectives left to be seen only through limited news reports and such, the film manages to encompass much of what occurred on campus during those days. It illustrates not only how the events transpired, but just how much the world itself has changed since then, not only in terms of how such decisions are determined, but in fundamental ways in terms of communication technology, educational practices, and so on.
Deaf President Now! is a rousing film about resistance, showing the impact that can be made when demands are just. Years on, the four people who stood up and asked to be heard are given a well-deserved victory lap via a compelling story of change that still resonates today.