Transcribing the lyrics of a song live for deaf and hard of hearing people is an arduous task. Texan Amber Galloway Gallego is one of the experts in this discipline nicely called chansigne. At 47, she has shared the stage with stars like Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, and performed their songs at the biggest festivals.
This astonishing documentary follows the daily life of this woman, organizer of courses to learn chansigne. For an hour and a half, the cameras scrutinize the progress of around ten young deaf people, eager to master this art, under the wise advice of their teacher. Two students stand out and end up officiating with their teacher at the famous Austin City Limits, a festival in the capital of Texas.
Put yourself in the other’s place
But The Way We Move paints a vibrant portrait of a woman who gives her life for the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing people. Mother of twins, one of whom died, she invests herself in passing on what allowed her to get by, after an existence strewn with pitfalls.
Heartbreaking sequences bear witness to this unique relationship with his son, and the bond that sign language represents between them. After having fallen into drugs and alcohol following the death of his brother, he gradually regains control of things thanks to the meetings he made during his mother’s internships.
Signed by two French directors, Vanessa Dumont and Nicolas Davenel, the film also succeeds in sharing the perspective of people suffering from deafness and their perception of music through the vibrations they feel when holding, for example, a balloon in their hand. This is the strength of this documentary, the conclusion of which is obvious: whatever the disability, music is a universal means of understanding and accepting oneself.
