`SILENCE' A POWERFUL METAPHOR FOR COMMUNICATION GAP.

Byline: Stephen Holden The New York Times

The recovery movement is filled with stories of children who grew up having to take care of emotionally dysfunctional parents. But what about those children who had to run interference for emotionally healthy parents with physical disabilities? In Caroline Link's film ``Beyond Silence,'' the story of a gifted young musician and first-born child in a family where both parents were deaf becomes a powerful metaphor for the inevitable communication gap between children and parents in even the happiest of homes. Imagine the frustration of being a gifted musician whose parents are literally unable to hear.

The early scenes of this German film (which was nominated last year for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film), show Lara (Tatjana Trieb), the 8-year-old daughter of Martin (Howie Seago) and Kai (Emmanuelle Laborit), to be resourceful beyond any ordinary expectations. Wide-eyed and ingratiating, Lara is adept at two languages: German and sign language. Her parents not only dote on her, they depend on her to help them negotiate many everyday transactions, including telephone calls, banking and even parent-teacher conferences. Precociously sophisticated in the ways of the world, Lara already is a skillful diplomat. When translating into words the sign-language tantrums of her hot-tempered father, she tactfully softens their tone.

Because of their dependence on her, Lara has an unusually strong bond with her parents. And in the movie's early scenes, the relationship among the three is portrayed as idyllic in its special intimacy and mutual gratitude. That happiness begins to erode when Martin's sister Clarissa (Sibylle Canonica), a professional clarinetist, gives her niece a clarinet for Christmas, and it quickly becomes apparent that the little girl is unusually talented.

As Lara immerses herself in music (she eventually is drawn to klezmer music), her regular schoolwork suffers. At the same time, her absorption in a world that is inaccessible to her parents opens old family wounds. Flashbacks recall Martin's childhood jealousy over the attention paid to Clarissa for her musical talents and his bitter sense of exclusion from the bosom of the family after he laughs at the sight of his sister playing.

``Beyond Silence'' makes a sudden awkward transition when the story jumps forward a decade, and a different actress (Sylvie Testud) assumes the role of Lara. Testud's edgy, introverted Lara is so opposite the adorable Shirley Temple-like child of the first part that it's difficult to connect the two, and the movie almost appears to be starting over from scratch. Encouraged by Clarissa, Lara leaves her parents in the care of her younger sister to enroll in a Berlin conservatory.

At this point, ``Beyond Silence'' loses much of its focus as it wanders from topic to topic. Because of her upbringing, the movie suggests, Lara is stranded emotionally between two worlds: those of the hearing and the nonhearing. Her father, in particular, is desperate for her to remain his principal caretaker. Should Lara's first allegiance be to her talent or to her parents? Lara, following Clarissa's example, strikes out on her own.

The movie turns unconvincingly warm and fuzzy when Mr. Right appears in the person of Tom (Hansa Czypionka), a teacher for the deaf who, like Lara, has normal hearing but can speak in sign language. When she attends one of his classes in which he introduces his deaf students to music by having them put their ears to the floor to feel the vibrations of dance beats, the movie seems to be sending a falsely reassuring message that music is really accessible to everyone. The movie glides to a sentimental ending as various estranged characters reconnect in pat, teary-eyed encounters.

If the movie eventually turns to mush, its hardheaded performances tug against the sentimentality. As Martin, Seago, one of the most active deaf actors in America, conveys both the resilience and the frustration of a vigorous man trying to break through his wall of silence.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Beyond Silence'' (PG-13; sexual situations).

The stars: Sylvie Testud, Tatjana Trieb, Howie Seago, Emmanuelle Laborit, Sibylle Canonica and Hansa Czypionka.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Caroline Link. Written (in German and German Sign, with English subtitles) by Link and Beth Serlin. Released by Miramax.

Running time: One hour, 37 minutes.

Playing: Landmark's Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion Cinemas; West Los Angeles.

Our rating: Two Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Sylvie Testud, left, and Emmanuelle Laborit star in ``Beyond Silence.''