The plot centres around a Deaf woman who, because of her ability to lip-read, is recruited to help surveil a gang planning a dangerous heist.
Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? I actually like the premise and always appreciate Deaf representation. But I’m hesitant to get too enthusiastic, and here’s why.
Lip reading is incredibly ineffective. At best—without context or additional clues—only about 30% of the spoken message is understood. One of my favourite videos explains this better than I ever could. The term lip reading gives the false impression that it’s similar to reading a book. It’s not.
It’s also frustratingly one-sided. Frankly, it’s selfish and ignorant to assume that, when communicating with a Deaf signing person, simply speaking more slowly or loudly will help. (It won’t.)
In that kind of exchange, the Deaf person is doing all the work, while the hearing person makes no effort to meet them halfway. Expecting someone to rely solely on lip movements—especially when you make no adjustments beyond volume—is not real communication.
At the very least, learn the manual alphabet. Gesture, mime, point, use eye contact, and make use of your environment for cues.
Now, with enough context, visual information, and a strong command of English, some Deaf and hard of hearing people can appear to lip-read well. I count myself among them.
But throw in background noise, poor lighting, visual distractions, multiple speakers, accents, facial hair—and suddenly, lip reading becomes an exhausting challenge. And often, an unsuccessful one.
It takes a huge amount of energy and effort. This movie, however, seems to casually overlook or minimize the difficulty of lip reading. I even hesitate to call it a “skill”—it’s more often a survival tactic. In a world where hearing society makes so few accommodations for Deaf and hard of hearing people, we often end up relying on whatever visual cues we can find—like watching someone’s mouth—to piece things together.
Please, do not consider lip reading a reliable communication method. Or if you do, understand that it’s an incredibly limited one.
So, you can see why a movie portraying a Deaf woman reading lips accurately—from across the room, no less—might promote unrealistic expectations and contribute to misconceptions. And that, in turn, could damage communication between Deaf and hearing communities.
Hope you found this handy and keep up your Awesome Auslan!
Disclaimer: This information is entirely subjective and based on my personal experience, interpretation and understanding of the subject matter.
This blog was written in May 2025.