Film Review: BREAKING SILENCE
by Karen Pecota

Amy Bench, Annie Silverstein, USA 2023

Walker and Betha Estes are deaf parents of hearing children, Leslie and Analise. Signing was the girls' first language. Leslie says, "Growing up in a deaf family, as hearing children, one sees the world differently." Those differences had their challenges and Leslie in particular struggled in her teen years of self-identity. She was drawn to the wrong crowd and ended up in prison.

Walker, a beloved and admired prominent figure in the deaf community, felt so responsible for Leslie's downfall and questioned where he and his wife went wrong in their parenting skills.

Walker and Leslie share their story in BREAKING SILENCE of how her incarceration was life altering for both father and daughter. While in prison, Leslie became aware of the growing number of inmates who were deaf and rarely had advocacy. Understanding that Walker was a dedicated activist in the deaf community, Leslie encouraged her dad to look into being an advocate for deaf incarcerated men at their local prison.

Step-by-step this father-daughter duo made a difference in their world beyond comprehension. Listening to them talk about their journey, and the circumstances that changed their world is a gripping narrative and one to ponder.

Leslie served her prison time well, and afterward, she went to school to become an interpreter. She mentors women who are incarcerated and is rebuilding her relationship with her kids; Walker is a chaplain at the state prison to deaf inmates and advocates the rights of deaf incarcerated individuals. Their story continues as they work to encourage others to join being advocates for deaf inmates because they need help, and many are unjustly convicted.