CODA
CODA (12)
D: Sian Heder
Apple Original Films / Pathé / Vendrome (Fabrice Gianfermi, Philippe Rousselet & Patrick Wachsberger)
France/US 🇫🇷🇺🇸 2020 (released 2021)
111 mins
Drama/Comedy
W: Sian Heder [based on the screenplay “La Famille Bélier” by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carrè de Malberg & Eric Lartigau]
DP: Paula Huidobro
Ed: Geraud Brisson
Mus: Marius de Vries
Emilia Jones (Ruby Rossi), Troy Katsur (Frank Rossi), Marlee Matlin (Jackie Rossi), Daniel Durant (Leo Rossi), Eugenio Derbez (Bernardo Villalobos), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Miles Patterson), Amy Forsyth (Gertie)
For some, CODA (Children Of Deaf Adults) was the big surprise of the 2002 Oscars, winning all three of the categories it was nominated for, including the coveted Best Picture honour. Myself, I’m surprised it wasn’t nominated for more awards, especially Emilia Jones for Best Actress in a Leading Role, as she is truly the shining star of this film with her breakthrough role following a string of big parts in movies prior.
Jones stars as 17-year-old Ruby Rossi in this coming-of-age tale. The daughter of two deaf parents and sister to a deaf brother, she spends her days juggling her duties as an interpreter for her family’s fishing business & school. She takes a choir class at school, where she impresses the teacher, who convinces her to audition for a scholarship at a prestigious music college. Ultimately, she’s caught in a conflict of loyalty to her family and carving her own path and finding her own voice.
The cast here are all excellent, but Jones is absolutely perfect, with a truly beautiful singing voice. Troy Katsur & Marlee Matlin, real deaf actors, are also perfectly cast as her parents.
It’s a simple story, simply told, effortless pulling at the heartstrings, especially in the final act, without feeling at all contrived. It feels like a film about real people, made in the usual independent film way, where a strong script and performances are more than enough to carry the story.
A remake of a little-seen French film, CODA has sadly also limited its audience by only releasing exclusively to Apple’s streaming service, which is the only negative thing I can say about this wholesome drama. It deserves a wider release to physical media & it deserves to be seen by a wider audience, since it was, by far, the best film of 2021.
9/10
