There’s lots to be learned in the silence of Audible

by Tom Soares

If there is a film worth every buzz and praise in 2021 that would be Audible, Netflix newest documentary featuring a group of teenage athletes from Maryland School of the Deaf high school. 

Captivating and involving from the very beginning, Audible was directed by Matthew Ogens, this short documentary follows the young football player Amaree McKenstry-Hall and his friends, immediately after his team loses a match against a school from Texas, breaking their 42 games winning streak. As the players reckon with their own challenges, both in the field and their personal lives, we get a very vibrant glimpse on what it means to be a deaf teenage athlete in the United States.

Located in Frederick, Maryland, the Maryland School for the Deaf was established in 1868 and provides free public education to deaf and hard-of-hearing students from pre-K through grade 12, and it is also the home for at least 30% of its racially diverse student body on weeknights. Some of its alumni includes the model and winner of America’s Top Model and Dancing with the Stars, Nyle DiMarco, and the very first deaf Receptionist of the United States during the Barack Obama administration, Leah Katz-Hernandez.

With so much tradition and accolades under its belt, it is surprising to learn just how much bias the school for the deaf still faces. “Discrimination is everywhere…a lot of the hearing teams don’t want to play us. And most coaches don’t like to lose to Deaf coaches,” explains Ryan Bonheyo, the team’s coach.

Indeed, discrimination is not something they face only in the field.

“I’m the only Deaf person in my family. Yeah, I do feel lonely,” says Amaree, while reflecting on his life. Amaree’s father, Marvin, left when the boy was two years old, but they have since worked toward a reconciliation. “When Amaree was born, I was 25 years old. I walked out because I was terrified at the time that he was sick. I didn’t know what to expect. I walked out on my family…and later regretted it,” Marvin says. 

Although challenges are a great part of these kids' lives, Audible also shows how steadfast they are in overcoming every obstacle. “Out in the hearing world, they tend to look down on Deaf people, and they don’t think we can do things as well. So the way to prove them wrong is to beat them, to crush them on the field and teach them that Deaf people can do anything,” says one of Amaree’s teammates, as they prepare for their homecoming match against the Virginia Spartans – a match that they win, scoring 20 points against 14.

Audible also has one of the best works of cinematography and sound editing on a short documentary this year. Under the command of Billy Pena and Chris Broholm, cinematography and sound do an outstanding job transporting to the screen all the energy and vibrancy displayed in these kids’ lives. Everything from the rustling of the pom-poms to the beat of the drums to the way the ground vibrates is exacerbated to create a sense of excitement that maybe one could only experience if present at these matches. Onscreen they are shown as happy and in love, and full of hopes.

Audible is a fantastic short documentary and it offers an interesting and hopeful look to the lives of these young Deaf athletes. Although set to face many challenges and bias, the documentary shows Amaree and his friends have what they need to be winners wherever their journey takes them. 

Audible releases on Netflix on July 1st, 2021.