The Belier Family  2014
Dir. Eric Lartigau.  From France (English subtitles)
Seen: Dec 2, 2015

A feelgood French comedy (melodrama?) about a teenage girl who lives with her deaf parents and brother. A farming family who manage their lives quite well, with the help of their teenage daughter Paula, their communications conduit with the outside world.

Paula somewhat accidentally discovers that she has an excellent singing voice which causes confusion and angst for her parents who ironically enough can never hear her sing and have her earmarked as working in the family farming business when she finishes school.

The story line charts Paula’s roller-coaster journey to a powerful final scene.

The film doesn’t offer any great intellectual challenges although it does present some thought provoking moments about the challenges hearing impaired people face.
Up-beat performances from the cast, effective and pacy, unobtrusive direction deliver a thoroughly satisfying experience.

Score: 8.5/10