Beyond Silence

     Lara took care of her parents from an early age. She went through things that children with hearing parents would never have to. For example she made calls for her mother and translated for them. Her parents depended on her in many ways. I think Lara's father depended on that and didn't want it to change. His strained relationship with his sister didn't help this. He felt like Clarissa was trying to take his daughter away from him, that she was trying to turn Lara into herself. It is human nature to resist change and I think we see a lot of this in the movie. The final acceptance of Lara's dream by her father shows that he has come to terms with her growing up. Before her mother dies, she gives Lara tickets for a concert and says she will go with her. I think this shows Lara's mother's acceptance of her dream. She wants to share in it with her even though she can't hear the music. Lara's father's acceptance comes later in the film. He has more resentment toward music from his childhood. 

  Lara's relationship to music compared to her father's is quite interesting throughout the movie. We learn that her father has some resentment toward the clarinet because when he was younger he was put in his room whenever Clarissa was playing the clarinet. Clarissa gives Lara her clarinet and cuts Lara's hair so it looks like Clarissa's hair when she was young. This reminds Lara's father of Clarissa and in turn causes him to resent his own daughter in some ways. He can't hear music. He doesn't understand that feelings that rise for Lara when she plays or listens to a piece. He doesn't understand why music is so important to her. This is why I thought the end of the film was so moving. Her father shows up to her audition, even though he can't hear. He puts his hands on the railing. I saw this as him feeling the vibrations of the music. It was his way of supporting her and encouraging her. 

     The differences between home and Berlin were also interesting. Lara's hometown was quiet and serene. The fact that the only way she communicated with her parents was through sign language made her home life even more quiet. When she gets to Berlin we see the noise and excitement of the city. City life is completely different from what she is used to. She is able to develop her musical skills in the city.