Code Of Silence
Not long ago, I watched the new television series, Code of Silence. Rose Ayling-Ellis plays Alison, the protagonist who is a deaf woman working in the police department canteen. We follow her journey working with the police department to read the lips of criminals in surveillance footage. The Television Academy website sums up the significance of lip-reading in the program: ‘The six-episode drama stands out for how it visually depicts the challenge of reading lips. Initially, the words Alison attempts to translate appear onscreen in the wrong order. She also interprets some of the words incorrectly, with her best guesses also appearing onscreen. From there, Alison transposes the words to decipher what those under investigation are truly saying.’ This aspect of the program was fascinating to me and felt so unique, engaging and interesting to be almost living life from a perspective that I have never experienced. The aspect of speech being like a puzzle, with Alison having to decode her initial lip-reading translation to work out what they actually said, was so insightful and exposed me to the reality of those who are hard of hearing. I was deeply moved by this story and am really excited to watch the next season. I recognise how little the deaf community is represented in film and television, making it difficult for people to understand their experiences and for them to feel seen and not alone. It is so important for the media to be representative of the real world and a range of real people’s realities. ‘Code of Silence’ re-emphasised this to me. I hope it inspires other writers, directors and producers to think about who they represent in their content.
I found the Television Awards interview with Ayling-Ellis interesting. She begins by talking about her background in the acting industry and how, as executive producer of the show, she was able to put elements of her personal experience as a deaf woman into Alison. She explains that through her 14-year acting career, she has helped production teams to make more accessible environments, as well as editing suggestions which mirror how she communicates in real life. She explains that she hasn’t received credit for her input to date, so being named as an executive producer on Code of Silence was a welcome change. Being in accessible environments and being communicated with in an accessible way is really important to her because ‘(her) deafness is a part of (her)’ and ‘it’s in the way (she) speak(s), it’s in the way (she) behave(s)’ and that is ‘never going to go away.’ In previous work, she had to suggest adjustments to the way that things ran and the way that her character was communicated with to effectively mirror her experience as a deaf woman. This shows that the television and film industry, and society in general, fall short of recognising and putting in place the right accessible measures. This goes for so many scenarios, not just people who are hard of hearing, and Ayling-Ellis’ experience highlights the importance of everyone being more educated and aware of the different ways in which people experience social interactions and communication.
Without spoiling the show too much, Allison makes some questionable and potentially dangerous decisions. In the interview, Ayling-Ellis is asked how she approached playing the character and her arguable, impulsiveness. She talks about the challenges that come with getting promotions as a disabled person, often finding yourself in the same position for years, the job promotion they wanted being given to others who came along much later and being told they ought to be grateful for having a job. She takes a stand against this narrow perspective, arguing that people with disabilities have their ‘own minds and ambition’, ‘motivation’, and ‘drive.’ She explains that, regarding Alison’s decision making, she takes the opportunity with the police not ‘to be a superhero and save everybody’ but instead, ‘she’s doing it for selfish reasons. She’s doing it for herself, really. She wants to be the one that has done something meaningful.’ Ayling-Ellis puts herself and the disabled community into the character of Alison. This can work to encourage self-belief and hope that people can achieve their goals. This can look different for each person, something that Ayling-Ellis also acknowledges. She says that the takeaway she wants from the show is that ‘not all deaf people are the same and to not just put us all in one box. There are so many stories that could be told and haven’t been told yet.’ Whoever you are, you may be able to see yourself in Alison, who was curated by someone who has experienced prejudice and inequality as a member of the disabled community. Ayling-Ellis has also created something with the opportunity to change attitudes towards the deaf community and to improve the way in which people communicate with those experiencing hearing loss.
If you haven’t watched Code of Silence, I really recommend it. Thank you for reading.
