
As a movie buff, I must say that the film’s opening scene sheds light on the concept of disfluency – a hitch or inconsistency in speech. A professor, addressing an unseen audience, explains that imperfections in speech reflect our imperfect selves. The “ums”, “likes”, and “totallys” are all manifestations of it. This sets the stage for the story of Jane (Libe Barer), who failed her final college class and has had to return home to live with her parents. As Jane reconnects with her sister and her circle of high school friends, including Amber (Chelsea Alden), a single mother of a young deaf boy, Baumgarten gradually unveils the reasons behind Jane’s academic struggles, and hints at how her fascination with “disfluency” might help her regain control of her life.