Hand Sign: I’ll Be Your Ears aka Boku ga Kimi no Mimi ni Naru was based on a true story which made this sweet short film all the more poignant. In many ways it was a music video as there were very few words spoken out loud by the characters. Set at a university, two students met and despite their differences found they had something in common.

A new deaf female student hands out fliers trying to find someone to help her take notes during class but has no takers. One day a male student in her class sees her frustration at attempting to read the professor’s lips and steps up to help her. As the two spend more time together, Rika wants to learn more about the joy of music and Wataru wants to learn more about sign language.

I don’t know the name of the band playing but I loved that they signed the lyrics and of course this played into the budding love story. Rika and Wataru did a fine job portraying the steps in the relationship, from tentative greeting to eagerly wanting to know more about each other.

While the story was sweet it avoided being saccharine, especially knowing it was based on the experiences of two real life university students. Those little extra efforts at communication people often avoid can lead to friendship and even love. How many interesting relationships do we miss out on by not stepping out of our comfort zones? The real people who inspired this hopeful and sunny film discovered the rewards and were generous enough to share them with the rest of us.

20 December 2024