Director Shoshannah Stern takes the celebrity biographical documentary to new and refreshing levels with Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, a look at the career, struggles, and successes of the most widely known and celebrated deaf actress in the world.
Since bursting into cinematic history with her Oscar winning performance in Children of a Lesser God, Matlin has fought for equality and visibility for other deaf performers, and not always without some degree of controversy. She survived an emotionally and physically abusive relationship (with late actor and Lesser God co-star William Hurt), childhood trauma, constant pigeonholing within the industry (for being deaf and being a woman), and her own battles with addiction. But amidst all those other struggles, the most pervasive criticism Matlin faced throughout her career was the belief she was just “pretty good for a deaf girl” and not a world class actress.
In her on camera interviews with Stern (who is also hearing impaired), Matlin is honest, candid, and impassioned when looking back on her career and advocacy efforts. But beyond the obvious profiling of its subject, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore is the rare example of a biographical documentary that’s as formally interesting and stylish as it is informative and blunt. For the hearing crowd, Stern and the team behind the film have crafted a sometimes elaborate soundscape that captures the feeling of being overwhelmed on a sensory level; when one can’t fully make out what’s going on around them. And for those who need subtitles and captioning to understand what’s being communicated, Stern has fun and creative ways of making these texts appear on screen.
Matlin comes across like a rock star here and with good reason, but Stern doesn’t merely rest on the charisma and candour of her subject. As a look back on Matlin’s career thus far, it’s assured. As an overall movie, it’s disarmingly great on its own terms.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore opens at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto and VIFF Centre in Vancouver on Friday, July 25, 2025.
