Marie’s Story (French: Marie Heurtin) is a 2014 French biographical film directed by Jean-Pierre Améris and written by Améris and Philippe Blasband. It is based on the true story of Marie Heurtin (1885-1921)—a girl who was born deaf and blind in late 19th century France.
In 1897, 14-year-old Marie Heurtin, the daughter of a humble artisan and his wife is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection with Marie and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send her to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite sees in Marie a unique potential and, despite her Mother Superior's skepticism, vows to bring the wild girl out of the darkness into which she was born.
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What made this movie so emotional to watch was the looming death of Sister Margarite from a fatal respiratory illness. Just as Marie is rescued from her dark world with the help of Sister Margarite and taught sign language through touch, we learn that due to a respiratory illness (tuberculosis?) Sister Margarite will soon die. Throughout the whole movie, all I kept thinking about was that moment when they will have to say goodbye on a death bed and it made me cry from beginning to end.
And I thought of Luki in every scene. How will our parting be when faced with death? Who will go first? How can I ever say goodbye to someone who needs me so much? Who will take my place? Who lives and who dies, when, where, how is not up to me but God. After my death, whether Luki should suffer or be well taken care of... is that not up to me, either? Am I not responsible for his care after my death and should I be making plans? Or are my plans laughable in God's eyes?
There are fates worse than death but this issue touches deeply into my heart. Only another mother with a disabled child would fully understand the feeling. My own mortality was the first thing that went though my mind immediately after I received L's diagnosis 2 years ago and it is still the one thing that brings me to tears and saddens me the most. And, it doesn't help that last year there were two deaths related to Dup15q Syndrome and many more die early every year.
It gives me hope that people like Sister Margarite exists! What loving souls here to help people and love God! My fears and sadness were somehow alleviated by a quiet inner voice telling me that L will be alright because there will always be loving people like Sister Margarite in this world. God will make sure to send such souls into the world to do His work. This is the truth I hold onto. I declare it to the universe: Luki will always be well taken care of! And so it is! Praise be to God!
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