Marie's Story (French: Marie Heurtin)

Synopsis

"It is based on the true story of Marie Heurtin (1885-1921)—a girl who was born deaf and blind in late 19th century France. . . . In 1897, 14-year-old Marie Heurtin, the daughter of a humble artisan and his wife, is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection with Marie and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send her to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite sees in Marie a unique potential and, despite her Mother Superior's skepticism, vows to bring the wild girl out of the darkness into which she was born." [Wikipedia]
The movie is very painful to watch, especially in the first part in which Marie seems to make no progress. Margerite's sacrifice and perserverance is finally rewarded when Marie "speaks" her first word. The intensity of the struggle and then the joy is well portrayed by the actresses (Isabelle Carre and Ariana Rivoire). The transformation is profound--from a frightened, untamed animal to a courteous, young woman who loves music, nature, and God and serves her dying teacher by bringing in a tray of food and feeding her.

Genre

Historical

Released

2014

Location

Europe

No