Sweet Nothing in My Ear on CBS

By Ally Matteodo

The Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Sweet Nothing in my Ear aired on April 20^th at 9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT on CBS.  This story traces the saga of the Miller family as they struggle to deal with the challenges of raising their deaf son, Adam.  Adam lost his hearing at the age of eight.  His father, Dan Miller is hearing, while Dan’s wife, Laura is deaf.  Before his birthday Adam cuts his knee and Dan takes him to the emergency room, where a doctor bandages him up, and then informs Dan about cochlear implant surgery.  Since Adam has not always been without his hearing, he is the perfect candidate for this procedure.  At first Dan refuses to consider sticking electrodes into his little boy's head, but as he does more research he comes to believe this might be the best thing for Adam.  Laura, on the other hand, wants to let Adam be as he is.  She is a teacher at a deaf school, and both of her parents are deaf.  They do not consider themselves disabled.  This movie explores the conflict and controversy surrounding cochlear implants, particularly within the deaf community.  The movie is told through flashbacks in the courtroom.  Laura and Dan fight for custody of Adam in front of a judge.  In the end, both must try to come to grips with the other’s perspective so that their family does not fall apart.     

Sweet Nothing in my Ear aired at 9:00 on a Sunday night, a time that CBS normally reserves for Dexter, a violent and often grotesquely bloody show.  It is interesting to note that the ratings were 25 percent higher in comparison to average Dexter numbers, and 27 percent higher in comparison to the episode of Dexter that aired the previous week.  It would perhaps serve CBS well to air more family friendly movies and programming at 9:00 on Sunday nights instead of the graphic and gory Dexter reruns (Dexter originally airs on the premium channel Showtime).  In fact, it might be a good recommendation to replace that program altogether!  The ratings make clear that people are looking for fare that is more family friendly. 

Sweet Nothing in my Ear increases the exposure of cochlear implants and the ethical dilemmas that surround them to the population at large.  However, the real value of this movie is not in its educational value.  This movie shows the viewer what it would be like not to hear, while at the same time proving the deaf are not disabled.  It is a movie of subtle nuances that finely navigates the moral morass of surgical cochlear enhancements.  The movie teaches us a lot about loving: everyone in the movie loves Adam, yet everyone wants something different for him.  No one in the movie ever questions another character’s love for the boy, yet how can this be when they all want different things for him?  In the end, the only thing that is clear is that there may not be any clear right or wrong answer.  As the characters struggle to understand each other’s varying perspectives, we learn how important compassion and compromise can be in keeping a family together.  No matter how far off the path one wanders, this movie proves it is never too late to regain your footing. 

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The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org