Although Oscar season is long gone, I always make time to watch a great film.
Last week, I decided to give “CODA” another spin. I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it, so I wanted to see what it was like on second watch.
Spoiler alert — it’s just as good.
The first time I watched “CODA,” I was skeptical. I went in without watching a preview or even reading what “CODA” was about. Heck, it could have been a musical, for all I knew.
Turns out that “CODA” is an acronym for child of deaf adults. In this film, the lead role is Ruby (Emilia Jones), who is the lone hearing member of her small family. The family operates a little fishing business in Gloucester, Massachusetts. When we first see Ruby, she’s singing on the fishing boat wearing a worn-out Boston Bruins hoodie. Ruby loves to sing but is terrified of crowds and audiences. She signs up for choir but freezes when she is asked to sing in front of her class and teacher.
Once she’s able to sing, her teacher, Bernardo Villalobos (Eugenia Derbez), sees something special in Ruby — talent. He tries and tries to get her out of her shell. However, she spends so much time helping on the fishing boat that singing takes a backseat to the family business. Her mother (Marlee Matlin) and father (Troy Kotsur) expect the world of Ruby as she is their only link to those who can hear. Her brother Leo (Daniel Durant) resents her because she’s viewed as the family’s hearing heroine, if you will.
“CODA” is a great coming-of-age story. Ruby is conflicted at every turn. She garners an audition for the Berklee College of Music in Boston but is hesitant to leave her deaf family.
The film was a hit at Sundance because it is extremely emotional. It also puts a spotlight on deaf characters but has been criticized for having a hearing character, Ruby, as the heart and soul of the film.
“CODA” is one of those rare films that I don’t want to end. Jones is a superstar in the making. Watching “CODA,” I had the same feeling I did watching Natalie Portman in “Beautiful Girls” so many years ago. Jones just has that “it” factor. She’s a scene-stealer and I don’t know that “CODA” works without her. She’s that good. The fact that she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar — Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress — is surprising.
One interesting fact I found while doing some research for this review: Matlin insisted that the deaf characters were actually deaf. By making that demand, Matlin was able to extract some fantastic chemistry from her co-stars, Kotsur and Durant.
If you’re an emotional person, you might have a hard time watching “CODA” as there are several scenes that are heartbreaking. We see Ruby get bullied by her classmates for having deaf parents and our heart breaks at the thought of her giving up on her dreams because the family leans on her so much.
“CODA” was sold to AppleTV for a whopping $25 million.
“CODA” was an underdog that won Best Picture a few years back. There are some genuine “laugh out loud” moments, too, which one would not expect from a film like this.
It’s a great film that tugs at the heartstrings. Be sure to have some tissues nearby.
“CODA” is rated R for adult language and themes.
Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette.
