Movie Description
Children of a Lesser God is a 1986 American romantic drama film directed by Randa Haines from a screenplay written by Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff based on Medoff's 1979 play of the same name. It stars William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, and Philip Bosco. The film's narrative follows two employees at a school for the deaf; a deaf custodian and a hearing speech teacher, whose conflicting ideologies on speech and deafness create tension and discord in their developing romantic relationship.
Children of a Lesser God premiered at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear, while Haines received a Special Silver Bear. It was theatrically released on October 3, 1986 by Paramount Pictures to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Haines's direction, its screenplay, and most notably the performances of the cast (particularly of Matlin, Hurt, and Laurie), while the film grossed $37 million in North America on a $10.5 million budget. It received five nominations at the 59th Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Actor (for Hurt), Best Supporting Actress (for Laurie), Best Adapted Screenplay, with Matlin winning Best Actress, at age 21 becoming the youngest winner in the category as well as the only deaf winner in Oscar history.