By: Andrew Wing
CODA is a 2021 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film that follows a hearing teenage girl who is a child of deaf adults (CODA for short). Written and directed by Siân Heder, the film stars Emilia Jones (Locke & Key, Doctor Who) in the lead role as Ruby Rossi, the hearing girl, with Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God, Switched at Birth) and Troy Kotsur as her culturally deaf parents and Daniel Durant as her deaf brother. Eugenio Derbez (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street, Vikings) also star in the film.
CODA had its world premiere on January 28, 2021 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, and a Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award, while director Siân Heder won Best Director in the U.S. Dramatic section. Following its success at Sundance, Apple acquired distribution rights to the film for a festival-record $25 million. The film was released in theaters and through the Apple TV+ streaming service on August 13, 2021.
Also, the film was filmed on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and it is an English-language American remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier, directed by Éric Lartigau.
THE GOOD
Ever since I heard that CODA won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at the famous Sundance Film Festival, it has been very high on my list, and although it has been almost seven months since Sundance, I can certainly say that CODA was worth the wait. Where do I start? CODA is an extraordinary film that strongly represents the deaf community behind incredible performances from the entire cast. But for real, the performances of everyone in the film are astounding and very deserving of some praise which I will give them.
First with who I felt was the star of the film, Emilia Jones. Jones is remarkable in this film as the titular C.O.D.A., and she brings such a sense of realness to her character and you can’t help but to become emotionally attached to her throughout the film. Her singing in the film is amazing and I would love to see her have some more roles where she sings because her voice is that good. Also, the fact that Emilia Jones did not know sign language before this film is stunning, and only adds to just how great she was in CODA.
Outside of the performance of Jones in the lead role, the performance of the entire supporting cast was amazing. There are definitely some Oscar nomination worthy performances from the supporting cast, specifically Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur who play her culturally deaf parents, who are actually also deaf in real life. Matlin actually won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress at the young age of 21 for her performance in the 1986 film Children of a Lesser God, becoming the only deaf performer to have won an Academy Award as well as being the youngest ever Best Actress winner.
With that said, I would not be surprised one bit if she garnered her second Academy Award, this time with a Best Supporting Actress win following her fantastic performance in this. I also loved the performances of Daniel Durant as her deaf brother who made me both laugh and cry at times throughout the film, Eugenio Derbez as the choir teacher who is simply awesome, and lastly Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, who also has an amazing voice which he puts on display in this, and also in his debut film Sing Street in 2016.
In conclusion, I just had a blast watching this film. There is a lot of comedy in it which I did not expect going into it, but it is also an extremely heartfelt film. The representation of deaf people in this film feels very honest which I felt was important dealing with a movie of this magnitude. Also, the family dynamic portrayed is very unique and beautiful and it provides a valuable perspective to the audience which I loved.
THE BAD
I’ll be completely honest, I really don’t think there was anything “bad” about this film. The only thing I will say though is I felt like the cinematography could have been a little bit better. With it dealing with her family’s fishing business, which takes place on the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts, I felt it was a missed opportunity to capture some amazing shots of the ocean considering the film’s setting.
Also, with this being a coming-of-age film, there were some parts that I felt were a bit too predictable. However, the fact that it still moves you and touches your heart in those predictable scenes shows that there is nothing wrong with that and that it doesn’t take away from the film as a whole.
THE VERDICT
With the combination of an unbelievable performance from the entire cast and beautiful representation of the deaf community, CODA is hands down one of the best movies of the year. Director Siân Heder’s touching story will touch your heart in so many ways and there is no denying that this film will leave a lasting impression on you.
CODA is my second favorite film of 2021 behind Pig (see review here), and I highly recommend checking it out. I strongly believe that everyone will enjoy this movie just as much as I did, and I’ll go out on a limb and predict that you might shed a tear or two along the way.
TED TAKES RATING - 9.2/10
CODA is now streaming on Apple TV+. Check out the latest trailer below.