Audible

PG-13
Rated PG-13 for thematic material and brief strong language
39m

Release Date: Jul 1, 2021 | Limited

100%
78%
6.7

Football player Amaree McKenstry-Hall and his Maryland School for the Deaf teammates attempt to defend their winning streak while coming to terms with the tragic loss of a close friend.

Releases

Original Release (Netflix) | Jul 1, 2021

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(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Matthew Ogens
Director

Amaree McKenstry-Hall
Self

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,American Sign Language

Summaries

Plot Summary

It follows Maryland School for the Deaf senior athlete Amaree McKenstry-Hall and his teammates' journey to defend their winning streak, while simultaneously coping with the tragic loss of a close friend to suicide. Everybody has to speak in sign language inside the locker room. Even the frantic half time conversations and frustrations are conveyed in sign language. Maryland has a champion football team. Dynamics on the field are also different as everything is in sign language. Even the referees are using sign language on the field.Maryland have lost their game to a deaf school from Texas. This is their first loss in 16 seasons, a 42 game winning streak. The pressure is on to finish strong. Amaree is in the senior year. Amaree had a hearing aid since childhood, after he got meningitis. He lost his hearing when he was 3 years old. He got brain swelling and infection. He can fell vibrations, and can feel the footsteps, but he cannot hear anyone talking.He has a Cochlear Implant and uses it to hear music. He is the only deaf person in his family. He gets lonely as often times people just talk around him. His dad Marvin left when he was 2 years old. Marvin left as he was only 27 years old and would get afraid every time Amaree got sick. He could not handle the stress and walked out. He was a drugs peddler. He is only now trying to reconstruct the relationship with his son, after discovering religion and giving up his life of crime.At school, the students have a normal life. They have conversations, have proms, homecoming parties and so on. Ryan is the coach of the football team. Football is an avenue for the students to show the world what they are made of. The team is focused on winning the homecoming game. Ryan says that with a deaf team, the other senses are heightened. The players have a better sense of the field and can see things better. They have secret codes for communication on the field.The movie also documents other students at school's campus in Frederick, Maryland and McKenstry-Hall's personal life. Jalen is a cheerleader and plays drums. The drums provide the vibrations that the players can sense. Lera is also a cheerleader.Teddy was Amaree's best friend. Teddy was on the football team and was Jalen's first love. Teddy transferred to a hearing school, where he didn't fit in and was bullied. Teddy hanged himself. He was a third adopted child for his parents.The squad continues to train hard. Hearing teams don't want to play deaf teams. Deaf people are discriminated against as they are not believed to be good enough. So, the only way to prove the critics wrong is to win on the field and prove that deaf people are equally good, if not better.Amaree wants to take Lera to the homecoming dance, but Lera avoids him, so he gives her space. These are normal kids with normal problems in their life, wanting a normal life. They have normal relationships with the normal questions of "where is this going", "where are we in our relationship" and so on.The homecoming game is on homecoming day. They play the Virginia Spartans, a hearing team. It is Amaree's last game for the school. Amaree is the homecoming King. The game gets underway, and the first half goes badly. The home team blows several chances and is tied 6-6 with the visitors Spartans. The 2nd half goes much better, and the home team wins 20-14.In 2020 McKenstry-Hall completed his studies at MSD. Real life will be much tougher. The best the kids can do is to be themselves.

Storyline

Audible is a cinematic and immersive coming of age film, documenting the journey of Maryland School for the Deaf high school athlete Amaree McKenstry-Hall. Amaree and his closest friends face the pressures of senior year while grappling with the realities of venturing off into a hearing world. They take out their frustrations on the football field as they battle to protect an unprecedented winning streak, while coming to terms with the tragic loss of a close friend. This is a story about kids who stand up to adversity and demand to be heard. They face conflict, but approach the future with hope - shouting to the world that they exist and they matter. — Anonymous