Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 2, 2017

With the proliferation of the Internet and the suddenly interconnected global community where everyone's story is but a Google search away, the inspirational story anymore seems to be a dime a dozen. But darn it if most of them still aren't worth their weight in gold. Take the tale of Rachel Flowers, born prematurely and, despite the doctors' best efforts and several surgeries, blind for life. Rather than a handicap, though, Rachel's inability to see did not interfere with her innate musical talents. Now a young adult and maturing beyond child curiosity to musical prodigy, Rachel's talents have turned her into an inspiration for the blind and budding musicians and an encouragement for anyone who has allowed their own limitations to get in the way of their dreams.

Hearing is Believing tells Rachel's story, in her own words and in her own music, following her from home childhood video recordings and TV news clips to her adult life as she further hones her musical talents and shares her gifts with the world. She often communicates through music, composes her own pieces (and has fully embraced the technological age and the computer's assistance), and associates everything with music; one of the film's best scenes sees Rachel recalling how with every word or object a corresponding note or melody plays in her mind. A tender reminder of life's gifts and an individual's ability to harness them and embrace themselves as they are, it's a beautiful little film that inspires with its sincerity and championing of the human spirit.

Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hearing is Believing was shot with lower-grade prosumer gear and the resultant 1080p image, presented on a BD-R disc, reveals the source's limitations. Severe banding, macroblocking, noise, aliasing, and the occasional static speckle (likely a dust particle on the mirror) are practically ever-present. Detailing is raw, offering basic object texturing on clothes, faces, and instruments, again limited by the source quality. Color, too, is a bit flat and bright highlights are clipped. This is a classic case of the viewer having to accept the source's limitations and the film's style and structure and adjusting expectations accordingly. It cannot compete with a new release blockbuster, but it's fine all things considered.

Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hearing is Believing features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Like the video, it's a bit crude, limited by the source, but effective enough. Sporadic overlay music is a joy, wide and clear and nicely pronounced, but much of the nuance is lost to sounds recorded within the scene, though it's certainly more than capable of aurally reproducing Rachel's talents. Dialogue is mostly firm with only a few moments of tinny reproduction, such as at 34:45 mark, while music can go mildly crunchy, such as at the 41-minute mark.

Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hearing is Believing contains the following extras, which, beyond the trailer, largely amount to deleted/extended scenes, even as they're listed as "featurettes." They are not available to play individually. The collective specs are 1080p, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and a 41:57 total runtime.

• Rachel Writes/Reads/Sings Braile
• Rachel Flowers and Dan Flowers Play Music Together
• Vaughn Flowers -- Emerging Artist
• Rachel w/ Arturo Sandoval "My Funny Valentine"
• Rachel Plays Variations on America's National Anthem
• Rachel Flowers & Ray Charles
• Rachel Flowers "Magnolia" By Taylor Eigsti
• Rachel Flowers in Concert
• Rachel Voice Lesson w/ Linda Ottsen
• Rachel Flowers Plays "Pictures @ An Exhibition" (Modest Mussorgsky), on the Pipe Organ
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:18).

Hearing is Believing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hearing is Believing is a simple but well done Documentary covering an extraordinary person whose gift of life and living it well may be more inspiring than her gift of music and playing and making it well. Never allowing her handicap to get the best of her, Rachel's life is an inspiration not only for the blind or budding musicians but for everyone who faces challenges in life. The Blu-ray is fine, technically limited to be sure but it serves the material well enough. Highly recommended.