CODA
2021 | Dir. Siân Heder | 111 Minutes
"I guess it's about sacrifice. What it means to need someone else."
A child of deaf adults, Ruby is the only member of her family with the ability to hear, but she loves to sing more than anything else. Ruby's choir teacher recognizes her natural talent and encourages her to develop it, but her family, struggling to make ends meet running a fishing business, expects Ruby to remain their designated interpreter. Ruby must choose between assisting her family indefinitely or going to college to pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer.
Based on Éric Lartigau's 2014 French film La Famille Bélier, Siân Heder's CODA is an engaging, no frills story of a young woman who discovers her calling in life but feels held back by the obligation to remain a key factor in her family's livelihood. Heder skillfully balances the picture with equal parts drama and humor, establishing characters and situations that feel true to life. The ensemble cast consists mostly of deaf characters and they all are depicted as complex, fully realized people, never as simple caricatures or plot devices. Ruby's family is charmingly working-class - indulging in the pleasures of drinking, cursing, having loud sex, and smoking weed as much as any other blue collar family. All the while, Ruby's frustration with having to interpret for her family, oftentimes reluctantly, never comes off as completely selfish.
To better depict the experience of deaf people, dialogue is usually muted for scenes in which Ruby isn't present. This creative flourish is used to great dramatic effect during the sequence in which her father's fishing boat is boarded by the coast guard to her father and brother's confusion and dismay when Ruby decides to not translate for them late in the second act, the family already under heavy scrutiny for defying the local fisheries board. The musical performances are a real treat, featuring the genuine substantial vocal talent of the picture's lead actress.
As Ruby, Emilia Jones gives a versatile performance, nuanced and showcasing incredible emotional range, particularly shining when she sings. Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin are consistently funny and occasionally heartbreaking as Ruby's loving and stubborn parents. Amusingly prickly, Eugenio Derbez steals all of his scenes as the tough love dispensing choir teacher Bernardo Villalobos. The film also features great work from Daniel Durant as Ruby's brother with a large giant on his shoulder, Amy Forsyth as Ruby's lusty best friend, and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Ruby's love interest.
CODA is a touching story that authentically explores the struggle all young people must face when the time comes to leave the nest and pursue their dreams. With a stellar cast lead by a multi-talented young lead, the film is a well-balanced blend of drama and comedy that tugs at heartstrings but never feels manipulative.
FRAGMENTS
- While the title of the film CODA is an acronym that stands for Child of Deaf Adults, the title carries a double meaning as in musical composition a "coda" means a concluding passage of music
- Emilia Jones took voice lessons, learned American Sign Language, and learned how to operate a fishing trawler for nine months before filming began
- All of the deaf members of Ruby's family are played by performers who are also deaf in their real lives
