Dir. Werner Herzog
Disability can be a tragedy.
In viewing Herzog's Land of Silence and Darkness, you contemplate the existence of the deaf-blind. The documentary, a short 85 minutes in length, tied not only geographically to Germany, but chronologically to the early 70's, manages to explore almost the entire spectrum of the deaf-blind, from those born with the disability, to those who know what it is to see and hear, but have lost the ability, as well as nearly everything inbetween. The film focuses on Fini Straubinger, a remarkable woman who champions the deaf-blind of Germany, as she visits these varied permutations of the deaf-blind, campaigns for their acknowledgment in a world which routinely forgets their existence, and simply by appearing in the documentary - has made this message timeless.
I could honestly write and write and write about this film but I'll keep it focused. Early in the film, after a few scenes establishing Fini, Elsa, and the way in which they communicate, we see them visit an airfield. Incidentally, they communicate entirely by touch, with a sign language designed for the deaf-blind, as they stroke and tap each others' fingers and palm.
Step back here, and imagine it. You can speak entirely coherently, however being deaf you do not traditionally 'hear' it, more feeling the vibrations of the throat. You do not see the person you are speaking to, nor can you hear them speak. For two deaf-blind people to communicate, they use touch, and enunciate using the hand and palm. Later in the film Fini elaborates on the difficulty of meet-ups for a large number of the deaf-blind, as each of them requires a non-disabled friend or family member to aid them in not only reaching the meet-up location, but also to act as a guide as to having two deaf-blind people understand who they are communicating with, where that person (and themselves) are in the room, and other details such as if they have company, what they're wearing, etc.. ...can you imagine?! And yet Fini and her friends stand tall, and live a life full of meaning, in a world of, well, silence and darkness.
See I'm getting side-tracked again. Scene: Airfield. Fini and Elsa are guided to a stationary prop plane on the airfield so that they can experience something new. A day-trip, where not only do we see them touch this completely foreign object, but they sit in it, and experience flight in utter darkness and silence. Their guide describes the plane's wing that they feel with their hand in context, relating it to the size of a car, something that they are familiar with, and using units of distance and size, frankly, as you would with a blind person. However in an utterly utterly human way, we see Fini's familiarity with the process, as she places her hand out so that it can be guided to Elsa so that they can chat about the experience. She is, by her disability, helpless, but her body language and attitude do not convey this. She, who was not born deaf-blind, but became so early in life, has had to rely on people nearly all her life, and yet here she has drive, she has goals, even if it is simply to share her thoughts with Elsa.
Within the plane, we see them experience take-off and flight itself, which, as you likely know, is a very strong feeling, something the deaf-blind can share with us non-disabled. The feeling of turbulence, wind drag, and air pressure change. They cannot see the large expanse of Germany from up on high, nor can they hear the engines - but they can feel them. And thanks to the help of their guides and friends, they can understand what does surround them, mechanically in the plane, and what is outside the windows. The two reach forward and behind so that they can discuss the experience, tapping away at their palms.
Again, in a late scene on a train, Fini describes her experience as being one of complete solitude and loneliness, with the touch of another like ripples in an otherwise still pond. It's poetry, sheer, profound poetry, and one which comes from a place remarkably unique. You could view the inability to hear the laughter of a child, or the inability to view Germany on high from a plane as a tragedy, yet out of this tragic disability, and I mean that in the core sense of the word - the inability to do something fundamental, is humanity. A human experience reflected and refracted by physical boundaries, but nonetheless human.
You can view the entire film on YouTube, (unfortunately with no English subtitles) and the plane scene begins at around 5:25. I've just re-watched it and my god I forgot how happy Elsa is! She's at least 60, and yet at one point she clasps her hands to her chest in glee, like a young girl. It's beautiful. Disability can be a tragedy, and indeed Herzog does not shy away from this, as we see a born deaf-blind boy later in the film struggle aimlessly within what we know of as a dark and silent void. It wouldn't be Herzog without darkness, and yet despite this being one of his very early works, as well as a documentary, it still has the hallmark that nearly every Herzog film has - that darkness accompanies life, but we would not appreciate life anywhere near as much without it. Watching this film with no disability reminds us that life can be so much more difficult, and dark, and lonely - at a fundamental level. Yet you see Elsa clasp her hands to her chest in glee at a plane ride she can only feel, and you know that disability is not a tragedy, not always. There is a human being in every person, no matter their physical or mental handicaps, who can enjoy new experiences of life, like a ride in a plane.
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