In the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant, loud Deaf community. In search of a home between two disparate worlds, the young women explore their unique identity as CODA—Children of Deaf Adults.

Home video footage shows Nyla as a happy, healthy baby, laughing and learning to say “mama”. But at the age of 15, she struggles to fit in among her school peers and at home with her loving family. Jessica thinks she will spend more time in the hearing world in the future, and she is afraid of losing the world of Deaf that is part of her identity. Mackenzie feels trapped in a double life and Ashley carries the burden of an often mistreated community on her shoulders.

[Poster image description: A film poster for the film “Only I Can Hear.“ The poster shows a half of a face looking off to the right side. There are doodles to show an ear in the upper right area of the poster and on the bottom, showing an upturned hand. In the middle, white text: “Only I Can Hear. In the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant, loud Deaf community. In search of a home between two disparate worlds, the young women explore their unique identity as CODA - Children of Deaf Adults.” In the upper right corner, there are two logos for Tokyo Docs 2016 and Hotdocs 2021. In the lower right corner, white text: “onlyicanhear.com.”]

[Movie still image description: A woman holds a toddler in the window as they sign ILY to an unseen person. The reflection of a tree branch is seen in the glass on the top half of the window with the tree visible outside the building on the right side.]