Award-winning drama made in a documentary style. The End portrays the impact of a revolutionary ‘treatment’ that offers Deaf people the chance to become hearing. As a group of Deaf children grow up, we find out how the ‘treatment’ affects their futures as they decide whether to take it or not. With the political and medical professions pushing the idea of a ‘cure,’ a unique culture is threatened with extinction, and lives and relationships are changed. The End is director Ted Evans’s second film, and was made as part of the BSLBT’s Zoom Focus scheme.
Winner of Honorable Mention at Deaffest (2011); Best Film at Clin d'Oeil (2011); Best Short Drama at Seattle Deaf Film Festival (2012); best Short Film at Cinedeaf (2012); Best Film at Irish Deaf Film Festival (2012); Best Film at Look and Roll Festival (2012); Best Director (Ted Evans) at Deaffest (2013); International TV Award of Sign Language Productions from SVT (2014); Audience Award at Nottingham Alternative Film Network (2015)
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What you thought about Zoom Focus: The End...
Well done
Dave
The social & emotional pressures of the “burdens of ability/insight/responsibility/rights borne unequally among us, variously hearing, variously Deaf, variously impaired and gifted, each citizen” are captured in this film, movingly.
...and so, in four interactingl lives in a context changing over 6 decades, we understand the chasms that lurk within and between us where we need instead the communication for better empathy, and the empathy required for better communication.
I am hearing, a lousily slow and un-confident learner of BSL, sick of failing bsl Signature exams, and aware of isolation (age-related, via bereavement, cultural/political, class-based, etc) via or despite technology.
Thank you Ted Evans, cast members, tech team, et al. Subtitles (having tried without) brought much benefit. I am glad of my literacy and what language(s) I have.
The ending was so sad and i hope never has to be realised in this world!
A policeman does not know a person is deaf, as you can not see it. They can be abusive, etc. to you. One man failed me years ago when I took my car to Motor Vehicle in Montclair NJ, USA, because I did not do what he wanted the first time! There was nothing wrong with my car!!!
Yes, it is a choice to be made by each person, and should not be made for them.
Now, I was made mostly deaf, as I can now hear with my CI's
Deafies call this Fake Deaf.
I have just started to learn BSL at 58 years of age. Why? To be somehow part of my surroundings, not just the "hearing people's environment".
It shows in a very good way how it could be if we don't keep this culture alive - everyone, deaf and hearing people should fight for that.
Perhaps it would be possible to add German subs? I think, many people in my country would love this one, too.
My name is Ted I'm the director/writer of The End. I'm really honoured you guys have left comments about our film. I hope you have been enjoying it, please share with your friends and family.
I wanted to let you know about the Facebook page for The End: www.facebook.com/theend.film
There you can find pictures, festival information and some behind the scenes clips.
Thanks again for watching.
Ted : )
I like it quite because people uses BSL but i understand what are they saying and i uses clean bit voice and i am fully deaf. Deaf people is beautiful. :)
When we can all sign, then deaf & hearing people will have a true choice. Being hearing or deaf is not the root problem, not having the ability to communicate within society is.
I hope to teach all my family some fairly basic BSL, but it is hard at the moment, because I am just not that good at it, at a conversational level.
And what makes me really mad is that hearing parents of deaf children do not get trained in BSL free of charge! That is so wrong, arghh!
As medical treatments change and it becomes more likely that hearing parents will opt for 'a cure' for their deaf child, I worry for terrible isolation of those left outside of the hearing world.
If we can teach our hearing kids French, Spanish, etc, we can teach them BSL, no operations involved!!
Yes It is same in new Zealand but slower and still curry on NZSL and
need up grand of Skype mobile i pad etc but it cost lots of money special for deaf people
Just goes to show how improvements and treatments can be made, but deafness was portrayed as being an illness but it isn't... They are deaf not ill.
Very tearful too... very powerful.
Anyways i'm deaf and proud :)
This is an incredibly very moving, thought provoking film. The Deaf Community is a very special community, in my view, no hearing community matches the cohesiveness and bond that the Deaf Community has. The Deaf Community will survive, Deaf people and their friends (Deaf/hearing) will make sure of this.
Next film may contain more Deaf culture so hearing people can understand what Deaf culture is and why we treasure it.
I am hearing learning BSL, I don't believe that the Deaf culture will ever disappear, it may change over time but as it has such a strong close base that it will continue and with more access for people like myself to learn BSL and integrate into our daily lives that surely has to benefit both Deaf and hearing people and allow them to enjoy each others company.
My take on Aaron at the end was that his regret was not at choosing not have the operation, but in not making more effort to accept Sophie's decision to have the operation. He could have made an effort to get to know her new friends and teach them some sign language to allow them to enjoy each others company. Sophie would not have forgotten how to sign and could also have helped to facilitate the flow of conversation between both sides, they might have had a few fun evenings at the beginning!
People need to be able to make an informed decision and just because they choose to have the operation does not mean that they have to distance themselves from deaf friends, it is still their heritage and culture and can be kept alive by both Deaf and deaf.
Any syndrome cults never change because the humans will not perfect.
I am hearing, my 3 year old daughter is moderately deaf. Whilst watching this she asked me if she could take her hearing aids out, presumably for some peace and quiet! This docudrama really give one food for thought.
It's left me thinking if deafness could be 'cured' they would move on to blindness, Down syndrome, ME, MS and everything else you could think of until everyone is 'normal', a little bit like Hitlers vision.
Thanks, it's been a pleasure to watch.
Thank you, Ted, for making a drama that had so much impact on me.
The end ... deaf cultur and sing language:(
Best regards.
We felt this movie was very moving and chilling. It really helped us, as hearing students learning sign, understand deaf society. We look forward to many more of your movies.
I am very familiar with the profound feeling of isolation that a person with a non visible disability experiences as I am moderate to severely dyslexic. In today's terms I would now be classed as having ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Because of this my view of the world around me is profoundly different form the so called norm. In the schools I attended there was no support for my learning difficulties and I had very strong feelings of isolation and because no one knew what to do at that time there was limited support within my "normal" family. So when I looked at this film it struck me as being particularly narrow because the emphasis was toward, as the film stated, a cure for deafness. There seemed to be little consideration of how the deaf community and deaf individuals communicate and view themselves. Perhaps rather than attempting to isolate or "cure" the deaf community everyone would benefit from learning to sign (ASL). There are many situations in this world where the ability to sign would benefit all members of society.
The numbers game being played throughout the film seemed designed to support the premise that deafness was something that needed to be cured and therefore was justification to further reduce specialized support and schooling facilities. Throughout the file the people making the decisions showed little compassion or understanding toward the deaf community. This lack of compassion and understanding gives a very unbalanced view of the deaf community and how education and support would benefit everyone. The deaf community does not benefit from this kind of unnecessary pressure.
A truly thought-provoking film which gave equal aspects of natural consequence of neglecting certain community. I'm looking forward to see what else you will shine the lights onto..
Most people are exposed to tonnes of myth, old wives' tales, distortions, rumors and norms for all to lo & behold, to embrace as Gospel truth and socially acceptable. History repeats itself with battles, wars and fallacies that result from all the conformity we can see with flocks of sheep and cattle with the herd instinct. Bison on the plains or prairies stampede to run off the cliffs because they can hear and follow the trends.
Mainstreaming does more harm than good mainly because D/deaf students get nothing in social skills and interpersonal relations with the interpreters, but also very few intelligent peers and teachers for their benefit. It is much better to mingle with our own type to enjoy life and for solidarity than to be lost in the wilderness.
Before, on the old site, i was able to watch it, but now no on the new site?
I'm sad because this film is very good, i d like to show it to my friends hearing
PS: sorry for my bad english, i'm in the french.
To the chap or madam who posted the comment below about Arron at the end of the film - I just wanted to clarify that he did not regret turning away the treatment - he lived on, proud of his culture and who he was. His final words in the film was to say to the world 'I'm a deaf' as if to say, 'that's who I am'. However he was regretful that the treatment, changing of the times and perhaps his anger and determination cost him some friends and people he loved. Sophia was the biggest regret of his life, they wanted to be together but Sophia did not want to fight, what she thought was, the inevitable. She wanted a different life and that was why they didn't stay together, they became different people.
So in essence I wouldn't say the ending is bias in that respect, the story still delivers a diverse perspective, shows different choices and after all it is a fictional story.
Thanks again for posting a comment.
Regards
Ted
i apologise if i have'nt made myself clear enough. but i think you get the point....... ted
This film was written and made with deaf and hearing people in mind, we really wanted to make a crossover film from the perspective of deaf people and deaf culture.
Myself and the team behind The End quite rightly want the film to be accessible for everyone - However watching the film without subtitles will most certainly prove to be very difficult.
Please watch this film with subtitles.
Kind Regards
Ted Evans - Writer/Director of The End.
Thanks ever so much for filming this! I truly enjoyed it.
A good film.