Louder Is Not Always Clearer

For most people, a dinner party is a chance to unwind and relax. But for Jonny, who is Deaf, it’s a constant struggle to keep up with his friends and their ever-changing conversations.

Uninterested and tired of misunderstandings, Jonny leaves a dinner party to take the viewer on an audiovisual, time-travelling adventure, offering up moments from his life where his deafness has landed him in sticky situations.

Louder Is Not Always Clearer tells Jonny’s story of disconnection, difference, and desperation to belong. It is an honest portrayal of a man perceived to be full of confidence and who is outwardly social, but is inwardly vulnerable and at times isolated.

For hearing viewers, it is an illuminating and emotional experience. For deaf viewers, the film is a familiar tale of misunderstanding and isolation. For all viewers, it is a humorous and at times moving story of one man’s attempt to cope, to fit in, and be accepted.

It is adapted from the critically acclaimed theatre production of the same name.

Louder Is Not Always Clearer was commissioned as part of Culture in Quarantine. It was funded by The BBC, in partnership with Arts Council of Wales.