CODA – Film Review
Every family has its own language.
Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of a deaf family from Gloucester, Massachusetts. At seventeen, she works mornings before school to help her parents and brother keep their fishing business afloat. But in joining her high school’s choir club, Ruby finds herself drawn to both her duet partner and her latent passion for singing.
Sian Heder‘s CODA is the type of movie that, sadly, just doesn’t get made too much anymore. By all accounts, this movie seriously feels like a 2013 release and I mean that in the best way possible. It has hints of John Carney‘s Begin Again and Sing Street while also feeling like its own totally unique and moving picture.
Although there is still a couple of months left in the year, I wouldn’t be surprised if CODA remains the most wholesome and uplifting movie of 2021 by the time December rolls around. It’s an excellently paced film that manages to make you smile from ear to ear one minute and having to hold back tears the next. It’s certainly a movie that toys with your emotions and takes you on a rollercoaster ride that you won’t soon forget.
This movie’s massive beating heart comes from the delightful script from Sian Heder, who also directed the film. We get to see very early on what Ruby’s life is like – it’s pretty much your typical teenage girl’s life except for the fact that everybody in her family is deaf except for her. This results in her having to be her parents’ interpreter in public and if they ever get into arguments – and they do – it’s frustrating to Ruby because she cannot vocally express her anger and frustration.
Courtesy of Apple TV+
On a daily basis, Ruby typically goes to school, helps her family with their fishing business, and unwinds during the night. But aside from all of that, Ruby’s favorite thing in the world to do is sing. While on her first day of class with her new music teacher Bernardo Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez), she initially gets incredibly nervous having to sing a song in front of all these unfamiliar classmates, causing her to have a panic attack and walk out.
But with Mr. V’s help, Ruby slowly but surely starts to gain some confidence and recognizes that she actually has a pretty great voice. And so CODA operates as both a movie that’ll be incredibly impactful for deaf individuals, those who have a deep desire and love of music, as well as general audiences. But it’s not a mainstream movie by any means.
Emilia Jones is an actress I have never heard of up until this movie but I can only hope that she gets more roles down the line because she was absolutely fantastic here. She delivers easily one of the most nuanced and emotional performances of the year so far as Ruby, making acting look easy. Definitely look out for Jones’ name in the future (and hopefully the upcoming Academy Awards).
CODA doesn’t boast the most unpredictable story out there, but it does tell the story with an infectious sense of love, care, and humor. There were several scenes in the film that genuinely caused me to laugh out loud, including one scene that had me in stitches, causing me to rewind the scene over and over again because it was so hilarious.
By the time CODA comes to an end, you’ll feel as though you just got a glimpse into the lives of a real deaf family and their teenage daughter who assists them in their needs. It’s a simple story but one told with such intricacy that’s rarely found in cinema today.
