Marie's Story

Marie Heurtin may be the French Helen Keller, but The Miracle Worker this film is not. Compared to the acclaimed 1962 movie, which made Keller an American household name, this weepy account (unrated, in French with English subtitles) of a girl born deaf and blind at the turn of the 20th century is as inspiring as it is ultimately underwhelming.

This is not to say the French teen’s struggle to learn sign language is anything short of extraordinary. Based on a true story, little Marie (Ariana Rivoire) so exasperates her rural parents they surrender her to the Larnay Institute, a school for deaf girls run by nuns. Marie arrives a feral creature, shrieking, belligerent, and resistant to every attempt to tame her wild hair or shape her into anything worthwhile.

Sister Marguerite (Isabelle Carré) is the resident firebrand and sees promise in the would-be wonder child, becoming what Anne Sullivan was to Helen Keller—tutor, liberator, and lifelong friend. But it’s a rough start. Sister Marguerite struggles to wrestle Marie out of her rags, and nearly comes to blows cleaning, feeding and disciplining the brutish teen. Little surprise the sister would apply the same brute force to teaching, though some would wonder about its effectiveness as she repeats the sign for “knife” in Marie’s fingers until we in the audience have gone numb.

Once Marie conquers “knife,” it’s mere seconds before every barrier comes down. In the blink of an eye, Marie has not only learned sign language, she’s mastered the written alphabet and left her parents speechless. Cue the tears.

A few pearls of spiritual wisdom set it apart from Helen Keller’s story. Ever the teacher, Sister Marguerite uses her own fleeting life to tell Marie about death and her Maker—even as the nun herself struggles to tell God she’s not ready to go.

Fleeting moments like these give a glimpse of what this movie could’ve been, but pay attention to those subtitles or you might miss them.