Love Is Never Silent Movie Summary
In the 1985 movie “Love is Never Silent” it is set during the great depression and follows the Ryder family, Abel and Janice two deaf parents of two hearing children Margaret and Bradley. Abel works for a newspaper company on the printing press, Janice is a seamstress. The parents rely on the oldest child Margaret as their link to the hearing world by being their voice. In the beginning tragedy hits the family as the Ryder’s youngest child Bradley falls from their second story apartment and dies. Now that Margaret is the only hearing child she feels obligated to always be available for her parents when they need her.
When she goes with her parents to a Mortuary she has to help them purchase a wood box instead of a coffin for her brother because that’s all they can afford. Anytime Margaret’s parents come into conflict with the hearing world they have Margaret taken out of school or later work to interpret for them. The only friend Margaret has and the only person to know that her parents are deaf and elderly store owner named Mr. Patrakis, who usually gives whatever her family needs for free. In the middle Margaret graduates from high school and this is where her classmates, their parents and staff find out that her parents are deaf.
Mr. Patrakis gives Margaret radio as a graduation gift, she is so excited that she brings it home, plugs it in and her dad seems to be interested and Margaret and her dad start to dance until her mom unplugs it to cook signing that the radio doesn’t belong. Margaret gets a job as a secretary and is still the only link between the deaf and hearing world for her parents. She has so social life and when a handsome man named William shows interest in her she makes excuses not to go out with him. William is persistent though and Margaret eventually gives in and they go on their first date.
Margaret keeps the fact of her parents being deaf from William until he purposes to her and William tells her that he doesn’t care that her parents are deaf and that he’d love to meet them. In the end Margaret and William elope and this upsets her parents because they don’t want to lose her not only because she’s their only child but also because she’s their link to the hearing world. William joins the military and while he’s gone Margaret invites William’s mother Mrs. Anglin and brother Marshall to her parents’ house for dinner, which doesn’t go well because Mr. and Mrs.
Ryder refuse to sign in an even more awkward silence. William comes back injured but not crippled and they live with her parents until he’s accepted into college. Margaret’s parents are sad to see her go but as soon as they can they go see her and it was unannounced. Margaret’s parents are very upset to see the place where she’s living and go to sign how upset they are that William hasn’t provided better for their daughter. Her parents never visit her again. The next time Margaret sees her parents is when she’s very pregnant to let them know that they’ll be grandparents.
Lastly William and Margaret move into better housing where they will raise their child till William graduates from college. Margaret and William invite everyone to their baby shower after the birth of their son and her parents show up after everyone has gone. Margaret is upstairs with her son and William answers the door and her parents surprise her. When they see each other all the turmoil between them is gone and they enjoy each other’s company. The movie ends with Janice’s retirement party where Abel, Margaret, William and their son go and Janice’s signs a speech that Margaret interprets.
