Directed By Sian Heder

Starring – Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Tony Kotsur

The Plot – As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby (Jones) is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents (Kotsur and Matlin).

Rated PG-13 for strong sexual content and adult language, and drug use

CODA — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ – YouTube

POSITIVES

– Original gimmick. Movies revolving around deaf characters are certainly nothing new, but one aspect of this plot that intrigued from the get-go, and one that offers compelling insight is telling it from the perspective of the only one among them that can actually hear. This might sound insensitive to some, but for my money it steers the conflict of the film properly in the place it needs to be, further illustrating a parallel between Ruby and her parents that articulate the difficult disposition that each of them face in their everyday lives. This certainly brings no shortage of predictability to the many directions the story weaves throughout, but also is wise enough to steer it with the only character among them who can effectively connect to the audience without the benefit or convenience of on-screen text defining the language spoken in sign, granting an outsiders perspective to an insider’s wealth of knowledge.

– Naturalistic authenticity. There’s so many unique touches to the aspects of production inside of this film that really made it easily accessible to a majority of audiences not familiar with the reality of deaf family members. The first, and in my opinion most important, is the perfect casting choices for the family themselves, with three actual deaf actors in real life portraying the roles. This not only saves time on training actors to sign with total accuracy, but also presents opportunity in starring roles for actors typically shied away from such a pre-conceived handicap. Aside from this, it’s the many situational conflicts that arises in and around the family that spreads awareness to audiences uninformed of their everyday realities, using matters like communication that we take for granted everyday, and fleshing them out with a degree of difficulty that only further illustrates their resiliency. Each of these and so much more establishes “Coda” as the quintessential film pertaining to deaf relations, treating its gimmick with a doubling down of respect not often seen in mainstream cinema, but one that rewards audiences tremendously for the way it puts them in the shoes of this lower-class family struggling to survive.

– Rollercoaster of emotions. It’s not often that a movie can make me laugh and cry consistently under one continuous umbrella, but Heder has clearly done his homework when it comes to what’s effective about the material he unleashes inside, all the while exuding it with exceptional transitioning that doesn’t jolt or disturb the entertainment factor contained. For the dramatic material, this is very much a heartfelt family drama with an obvious degree of vulnerability established in its characters, so any time an element of the script challenges them, we find ourselves firmly invested in the dynamic of the conflict. As for the comedic material, I was overwhelmed at the degree of accuracy and landing power that each subtlety of gag maintained while attaining its charm. When “Coda” is a comedy, it doesn’t require bodily or self-deprecating humor to touch its audience, instead settling for quirky family hijinks and occasional misunderstanding that points to a bigger overhanging picture, and one that offered plenty of relief in contrast to the river of tears flowing from some very realistic family drama.

– Superb soundtrack. With Ruby being a member of her high school choir in this film, we’re treated to an abundance of on-stage performances in the form of acapella covers that offer a wide range of eclectic genres and artists. When Ruby isn’t jamming out to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”, an empowering anthem about understanding and appreciation, the film dives into several deep cuts from David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, and Etta James among many, and presents us with one of the more satisfying compilations to independent cinema in quite sometime. What’s even more appreciative is each’s level of usage in the context of the scenes, with “I Fought The Law” from The Clash springing audibly to our ears as a result of Ruby rebelling against bullies, conventions, and her own shyness in a lifetime full suppressing her urges. This and many other examples grant the film a wide range of personality that keeps it light-hearted while investing its minimal budget into something substantial for the experimentation of a high school choir.

– Delightful cast. Really the work of everyone here is exceptional, especially that of Eugenio Derbez as a zany choir teacher, and “Sing Street’s” own Ferdia Walsh-Peelo once again lending his smooth vocals to the forefront of another musical role. However, it’s the whirlwind performance of Emilia Jones that is most buzzworthy in the first starring role of her reputable career. Jones’ naturalistic vocals while singing are only surpassed by the heart unloaded at her disposal through no shortage of long-winded diatribes, and when combined with the responsibility that her character constantly bares with the many goals and aspirations of college firmly on her mind. In addition to this, it’s the force and assertiveness deposited to Ruby’s signing for her family that easily conveys emotion in the context of something as cryptic as hand language, bottling as much chemistry in their dynamic as a family that gives their interaction a lived-in kind of chemistry that constantly attains believability.

– Educationally informative. Another in the unique elements that this production juggles while opening up the accessibility of CODA’s everywhere, is the on-screen text represented during scenes of sign language that keeps us hooked onto every word, even when nothing is audibly being said in the conversation. Not only does this allow audiences the value of interpreting many meanings and emotions within the voiceless conversations, but they also help to value the deaf characters perspectives in ways that other films strangely overlook while using their means of communication, speaking volumes to a bigger problem in mainstream cinema that only films like this seem interested in correcting. It’s all the more valuable because so much of the on-screen interaction is obviously between this family, so there’s no shortage of opportunity for it to be used throughout the film, making “Coda” a film that constantly meets the deaf community at an eye level of importance.

– Tasteful ingredients. While there are familiar elements to the many subplots at the forefront of this story’s screenplay, it’s the way each of them are assembled that has this feeling like a fresh take on an otherwise ages-old remedy. Aside from the outsiders perspective resonating strongly with Ruby’s character, both in her family as the only one who can hear, and with her school as a social outcast, there’s also a coming of age story about breaking out against conventions and finding your own dreams to make something special of your existence. It’s also the attention paid to the supporting characters of this family that serves as chicken soup for the soul in our enjoyment of each of them. While the script divides them at certain times throughout as they fight their own personal conflicts, there’s a summary purpose between them that has each of them driven to become better people, and not using their handicap as a means to an end with their lives.

– Grounded direction. At first, my interpretation of the film brought forth tastes and feelings of a TV production, complete with manufactured sets over on-site locations (As evidenced by the echoing of Ruby’s initial engagement with Gertie) and the overall cinematography that felt as plain and conventional as cinema can offer. However, as the film persisted I started to understand Heder’s purpose in such a decision, undervaluing it in a way that doesn’t take away from the hearty elements of the story for something stylistically irrelevant in a movie where it simply isn’t needed. Because of such, the consistency of the visuals seamlessly blended in with the beats of the story as the film persisted, making it all feel like a slice of life that could easily be believable as a documentary, for the way no element of his production feels enhanced for the concept of style over compelling substance.

NEGATIVES

– Romantic subplot. In a film with so much believability and nuance expressed in the interactions and time spent on each of these characters, it was the material between Jones and Walsh-Peelo that left plenty more to be desired in its development. There’s certainly a lack of chemistry between the dynamic of their respective characters, but the bigger problem for me was the believability of their engagement, which I felt evolved and transitioned far too quickly for my personal taste. Because of such, it serves as the only slow spots in an otherwise perfectly paced film throughout its nearly two hour run time, and when you consider its removal from the film all together would take away absolutely nothing from the finished product, you start to see it as the weakest link in a story full of compelling characters and investing subplots that are constantly earned and enriched with a degree of believability not present in two weeks spent with these characters.

My Grade: 9/10 or A