By: Alex Phuong (A Toast) –
Love might be a trite topic, but some of the best films ever made are wildly romantic. Hollywood also likes to redefine the conventional love story with groundbreaking romantic plots. Some of the greatest romances of all time include Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and Beauty and the Beast, but love comes in a variety of forms. The notion of love being a language all its own originates from the stage play Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff, and its subsequent film adaptation released in 1986.
A Toast!
This is truly one of the most original, compelling, and complex love stories ever filmed! Marlee Matlin deserved her Academy Award for playing “Sarah,” and coincidentally received her Oscar at the ceremony from her co-star, William Hurt. A fun fact was that Marlee Matlin and William Hurt actually became romantically involved in real life after they finished filming. The title originates from the twelfth chapter of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. This film was also the first “Best Picture” nominee directed by a woman, Randa Haines.
Verdict
Children of a Lesser God remains one of the most thought-provoking romances on both the stage and the silver screen.
Children of a Lesser God (1986) Bonus Drinking Game
Take a Drink: every time Sarah and James communicate via sign language
Have a Fancy Martini: because of the undeniable passion within this film
And Cheers: to unconventional love stories as well as the power of love itself!
