What? (2021)

WHAT? is a black and white, silent (and signing) comedy about a struggling deaf actor, sick of agreeing to increasingly humiliating tasks just to get a role, who decides to take matters into his own – hands.What? Is a remarkable film. It is supremely entertaining, funny, and thoughtful, but it is also brilliant cinema. I make a point of calling this movie “cinema” because director Alek Lev has made a love letter to Hollywood’s silent era while keeping it contemporary, fresh and entertaining. There is not one filmmaking element that the makers of “What?” did not use the fullest degree; cinematography, soundtrack, production design, and of course the brilliant acting.And there’s one more thing. What? Conveys a sober yet heartening message of inclusion for the deaf community, but it is so entertaining that it isn’t a message movie. It’s cinema at its best!