A hearing girl lives with her deaf parents and brother on a farm where she acts as the family’s interpreter. They cannot appreciate her talent for singing, but she is encouraged by her local choir to pursue a career in it, which would mean moving to Paris and leaving her family.

This coming-of-age drama proved a big hit in France despite criticism from the deaf community who pointed out that the parents were played by hearing actors who made frequent mistakes in their use of sign language.

The film was remade in the US as CODA in 2021, set among a fishing community, where it went on to win 3 Oscars, including Best Picture. On that occasion, the actors of the deaf characters were themselves deaf.

“The beauty of the otherwise formulaic “La Famille Belier” is the way this affable crowdpleaser manages to twist its overplayed setup: Teenage Paula (played by Louane Emera, a semifinalist in France’s “The Voice” competish) discovers that she has a God-given talent for singing, but can’t communicate that desire to her deaf family.” Peter Debruge, Variety.