Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore

Director Shoshannah Stern’s documentary, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, gives us a portrait of the Academy Award-winning deaf actress and her personal and professional journey. It covers her career, discusses sexual abuse in her youth, and delves into her addiction issues and the alleged violence by her Children of a Lesser God co-star and then-boyfriend William Hurt.

Matlin captivated audiences with her performance in her film debut, Children of a Lesser God, a role that made her the first deaf actress to win an Oscar. Archival interview footage with entertainment reporters can sometimes be cringe-worthy, as some seem to have approached her performance and win as a novelty. She shared the film, a relationship, and addictions with co-star Hurt and their relationship was plagued by violence. Interviews with director Randa Haines and Matlin’s long-time interpreter, Jack Jason, show they were both aware of bruising and brewing tension between the two.

Stern, herself deaf, and Matlin conduct their interviews entirely through American Sign Language with stylized subtitles provided. The subtitles also remind us of Matlin’s relationship with the deaf community. She was attacked by many in the community for speaking instead of signing when she presented the Best Actor Oscar the year after her win. Though she went to the U.S. Congress to fight hard for mandatory closed captions on productions, there was also the pressure to be 100% perfect in her advocacy. 

The doc tells her story with interviews with family members as well as friends and co-workers like Henry Winkler, Aaron Sorkin, Randa Haines, Sian Heder, Lauren Ridloff, and Troy Kotsur. We see that Children of a Lesser God wasn’t some one-off, as Matlin’s talent carved out a career that included a recurring role on Sorkin’s The West Wing and numerous film and TV roles that also saw her jumping behind the camera. Her path also took her to the movie CODA, which earned both Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for deaf actor Troy Kotsur. As the doc’s title suggests, Matlin was not alone anymore and her win was not an anomaly. 

I had a chance to screen Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore a few months ago during Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival. It’s now opening in Toronto and Vancouver on July 25, 2025. Keep an eye out for it when it’s in your area or on streaming. Like its subject, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore is engaging and layered. Recommended.