A thriller that doesn't talk like the others
It's unusual for a series, beyond simply telling a story, to challenge the viewer regarding the conventions it uses to tell it. This is the case with... MeetingA magnificent BBC drama that you can find on Filmin. It's a thriller A five-episode series set in an everyday context. Daniel Brennan, a deaf father, is released from prison after serving time for the murder of a close friend, a teacher who worked to promote the inclusion of deaf people. No one knows the reasons that led to this tragic situation. Brennan tries to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, but the rejection he faces from those around him forces him to confront a past that haunts him.
The uniqueness of Meeting It doesn't just focus on the "what" but also on the "how." A large part of the cast are deaf actors and actresses who communicate using British Sign Language. Many of the roles were rewritten or adapted after the casting process, creating a deaf community with maximum naturalness. The hearing actors and actresses learned to sign to ensure communication and credibility in the scenes. The series' creator, director, and screenwriter, William Mager, is also deaf and, therefore, created a series where this wasn't simply a diversity note, nor did it define the characters. Both the creative and technical teams were bilingual to ensure that the nuances and all communicative conditions were treated with equality, not exceptionality.
The series invites viewers to reflect on the many forms of exclusion that exist when it comes to communication. For hearing people, it shows the reality and obstacles faced by deaf people, and how this can affect their personality and life experiences. When watching the series, it's important to turn off the subtitles, even if only for a while. The on-screen captions distort the production as it was intended, because they also translate sign language and erase the communicative context that the story aims to emphasize. This necessitates a reconfiguration of aspects such as framing and editing. Compositions must respect sign language, including the use of hands, face, and torso. And the editing cannot fragment the characters' dialogue as spoken language. The production doesn't force deaf characters to adapt to audiovisual codes; rather, it adapts them. Facial expressions and gestures are integral to the tone and emotion. And silence acquires a new and transformative value. Regarding sound, it facilitates the viewer's understanding of the circumstances and isolation experienced by deaf people. What isn't seen, for example, isn't felt either. Meeting It is, without a doubt, a gateway to awareness and empathy with the deaf community, but above all, it is a very good story in itself, which is often the best tool for normalization, inclusion and respect for diversity.
