CODA (2021)

 

CODA (DIR: SIAN HEDER) (SCR: HEDER, BASED ON LA FAMILLE BELIER, WRITTEN BY VICTORIA BEDOS, STANILAS CARRE DE MALBERG AND ERIC LARTIGAU)

While the most recent Oscar broadcast will go down in history as "that time when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock", there were a number of other interesting things that happened.  Ariana Debose became the first openly gay woman of color to win an award (Best Supporting Actress for WESTSIDE STORY), Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win an award (Best Supporting Actor for CODA), and, perhaps most interestingly for the future not only of the Oscars but for movies in general, CODA became the first Best Picture winner ever to  play on a streaming site (Apple+) before opening in only a few theaters.  Will streaming services soon be the only way to view certain Oscar winning films?  Obviously the theater owners of America aren't too thrilled about that prospect, but with moviegoers heading back into theaters more and more as the pandemic seems to wind down,  it has been  mostly the big blockbusters that have drawn a crowd.  It's clear that a low budget film like CODA is going to  be seen on small screens by most people, as foreign and independent films go the streaming route.  Personally, I think that that is a shame, given that I prefer those kinds of movies and enjoy seeing them on the big screen. Really, the pandemic just seemed to accelerate a growing trend of audiences only going to see big spectacle movies in the theaters and staying home for everything else.

In any event, CODA was a bit a of surprise winner, given that it was nominated for only 3 awards (Best Picture, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay), while Jane Campion's Western THE POWER OF THE DOG was up for a whopping 12.  Add to that the fact that CODA is the rare Best Picture winner to not even get a Best Director nomination, and its victory seemed unlikely. But then Campion's more complicated film is a tougher sell than CODA, which tells a simple, moving story with likable characters.  So maybe a sweet film like CODA winning in a world coming out of a pandemic and looking for something uplifting isn't all that surprising after all.  In any event, CODA is such a good natured film, so openly trying to coax tears from its audience, that I found it hard to resist, even if I also think it was far from perfect. 

It tales the story of teenager Ruby (Emilia Jones) who lives with her father Frank (Kotsur), mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant).  Ruby is the only member of her family that isn't deaf.  They make a living fishing, with each family member helping out.  When Ruby joins the choir at school, her teacher, Bernardo (Eugenio Derbez) thinks she has potential and personally trains her while encouraging her to try out for a scholarship to a musical academy.  But her parents want her to stay with them and continue to help out with their struggling business.

Emilia Jones

CODA began as a French film (LA FAMILLE BELIER) released in 2014.  While the film was a hit in France, it sparked some controversy because deaf characters were sometimes portrayed by actors who weren't actually deaf.  When Sian Heder was brought it to adapt and direct an American version of the film, she made sure not to make the same mistake.  It didn't hurt that the first person she cast for the film was Marlee Matlin, the deaf actress who herself had won an Oscar back in 1986, and who is probably the  most famous deaf actor in Hollywood.  And for the crucial lead role of Ruby, Heder cast English born actress Jones, who spent months learning both sign language and how to fish.  The film was shot  on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  After it was debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, it was purchased by Apple for a festival record 25 million dollars.

In a way it's not surprising to me that Heder was not nominated for Best Director, given that, apart from some lovely shots of fishing boats, the direction here is far from striking.  Really, one get the impression that she knew that this film was fated to be seen mostly on smaller screens, so visuals are not a high priority here.  Still, the film does have a nice sense of place, with what seems to be a realistic depiction of the highs and lows of living life as a fishing boat worker.  Heder's script (for which she won a Best Adapted Screenplay award) tells the story well, but is often predictable; yes, there's a scene in which Ruby's brother is called a "freak" for being deaf, yes, the family eventually supports her singing dreams, and yes, it even ends with a group family hug.  All quite formulaic.    It also never explains just how the family overcomes their financial difficulties. 

So, to the extent that the film works, it works on the strength of its performances: Jones is very good here, capably carrying the film and playing a teen girl who's likable without being perfect (she does yell "I hate you!" at her parents at one point).  Plus she has a nice chemistry with Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as her boyfriend Miles.  And most of the rest of the cast is also very good, with Kotsur's earthy but soulful  performance as Ruby's dad being a standout (he pretty much won his Best Supporting Actor award for his enthusiastic signing about birth control in one scene.)  The one performance I didn't care for is Derbez as Ruby's music instructor; perhaps because the inspiring teacher character is such a cliche, Derbez's performance and the script seem to play up his more eccentric behavior, making him too over the top for my taste. 

SO DID THE ACADEMY GET IT RIGHT?

I think that it's clear that I admire this film but don't actually love it.  I think Stephen Spielberg's lovely new version of WEST SIDE STORY is a better film.  I also preferred NIGHTMARE ALLEY, LICORICE PIZZA and the underrated TICK, TICK, BOOM...Still, CODA isn't a bad choice.