March is upon us and that means the Oscars are going to creep up quicker than I’d like, so I have to do my due diligence before I proceed with what will be the 5th Annual Sheist Film Awards. As part of that, I’m checking some boxes on the Best Picture contenders and last night was CODA on AppleTV+. The 2021 Sundance Film Festival darling is a warm and heartfelt film that normalizes the experiences of deaf families, highlights the remarkable voice of its lead, and gives respect to the acting prowess of its deaf performers.
Adapted from the French film, La Famille Bélier, the film follows Ruby who is the only hearing Child of Deaf Adults in her family. She is the de facto interpreter for her family in their interactions with the outside world and a key piece of their fishing business. However, her passion for singing leads her to join the school chorus where her music teacher takes her under his wing. As she begins to develop her voice she gets the opportunity to audition for the prestigious Berklee College of Music and grapples with the dreams of her future and the obligations to her family.
This is the sophomore feature for Director Sian Heder who also adapted the screenplay from the work of Éric Lartigau, Victoria Bedos, and Stanislas Carré de Malberg, finding herself nominated for an Oscar in that category for her efforts. She did a wonderful job making the source material her own while still keeping the core of the original and its themes intact. Moving the setting to Gloucester, Massachusetts, not far from her hometown of Cambridge, helped inject her voice into the story and a few other small changes, such as having the cast train to operate a fishing trawler, just made it all the more authentic.
Representation is an important piece of the puzzle here and Heder handled that with care rather than as a novelty plot mechanism or punchline. Deaf or not, this is a normal family that laughs, fights, and cries just like everybody else. That’s the point. While their hearing impairment increases the emotional weight of a few scenes towards the end, it was refreshing to see that the core elements didn’t hinge on the characters’ ability to hear or not. That’s ultimately a big part of what makes the film so endearing and likely a substantial contributing factor in its Best Picture nomination. So, I’m guessing Apple was cool with shelling out the $25-million for the rights, which was a record at the time.
Much of the film’s success rides on the shoulders of (then 19-year-old) Emilia Jones. She is the heart and soul of this film but if she couldn’t sing or sell the audience on her internal conflict then I doubt I’d even be sitting here writing about this film. Not only does she have an excellent singing voice, but she also had to dedicate time to learning American Sign Language after her shooting days on Netflix’s Locke & Key. Her passion for the role and the story is clear and that’s why she was nominated for a BAFTA. If there was ever a star-making performance that’s deserving of Breakthrough Performer, this is it.
She is supported with great performances by veterans like Marlee Matlin, who is one of the most high-profile deaf actors in the world, playing Ruby’s mother. Daniel Durant plays her brother Leo and it’s a good showcase for his talents as well. Eugenio Derbez puts in a very strong turn as well as Ruby’s music teacher, but it’s Troy Kotsur’s portrayal as Ruby’s father that is earned the Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. It’s an impressive performance, rich in humor and heart, and his chemistry with all the cast members is fantastic.
I was a little hesitant with this one at first because I just didn’t know about it. I had this one on the watchlist when it first debuted but, when it received an Oscar nom for Best Picture, I had to pay closer attention. While I don’t necessarily agree, the nomination alone will bring more eyes to it and that’s ultimately a good thing for the filmmakers and the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed CODA. I cried. But it’s just outside the bubble of my personal Best Picture threshold.
Recommendation: CODA is worth a look, not just for its representation but for its substantial heart, sense of humor, and a number of excellent performances among the cast.
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