Ted Evans’ “Retreat” takes place outside society: Its characters, living in a compound called Chilmark, share a deaf identity but refuse to call themselves deaf, declaring that that label was foisted upon them by the hearing. Matt (James Joseph Boyle) has been happy among this group until that classic type, an enigmatic outsider (Anne Zander) forces him to confront what really lies under the surface of Chilmark.
“Retreat” is screening at TIFF starting Sept. 6, and Evans, a debut filmmaker who is deaf and communicates through British Sign Language as well as spoken English, talked with Variety about the film, communication onscreen and opportunities for Deaf actors.
I wouldn’t call it a language — definitely a dialect. It was so much fun to work with our sign language director and our consultant — along with a cast bringing an influx of BSL, ASL, DGS, which is German sign language.
I know that a lot of people are just going to see sign language. But every sign we created has a meaning. We created a glossary that was very carefully thought out. These little details are in the film for people to discover, if they want to.
I’m not really setting out to make any points. But when you think about the Deaf community as a whole, 95% are born to hearing families. We don’t get taught about our culture and history in schools. Nobody tells us how to be deaf. The majority of us are encouraged to assimilate and fix our deafness, and that can create a lot of isolation.
I went to boarding school when I was very young — I went when I was 10, and was there for seven years with 150 other deaf children. This was in Brighton, in the south of England, in a valley, cut off from the outside world. The more I developed this story, the more I saw an opportunity to explore the construct of identity within the structure of a cult.
Do you think opportunities for Deaf actors are improving overall?
It’s definitely getting better. But it’s tough for Deaf actors — they work so hard, for so few opportunities. It all comes down to the writing: They need stories that aren’t just about their deafness.
