Casting three incredibly talented deaf actors (including one Oscar winner) made all the difference and together with Jones the four share a remarkable chemistry.Īnd I also have to say that “CODA” is legitimately funny. This is partly due to how well they’re written, but also because of the performances. Mostly it’s in the characters who feel rooted in the world we see and driven by organic emotions. That aforementioned authenticity can be found all through “CODA”, from the rich blue-collar setting (filmed on location in Gloucester) to the way it normalizes the deaf community’s experience (I would guess 50% of the film is in American Sign Language). predictably encourages Ruby to pursue her passion, even pushing her to audition for Boston’s Berklee College of Music, we’re with her every step of the way. But as with many things in “CODA”, underneath the familiar exterior is a warmth and authenticity that’s hard to resist. It’s a trope we’ve seen countless times – the inspirational teacher breaking through to the insecure pupil. He sees something in Ruby and pushes her to trust her voice and believe in herself. She has the voice but doesn’t have the nerves to sing in front of people nor does she have a family she can share it with.Įnter quirky choir director Bernardo Villalobos (a delightful Eugenio Derbez). “ It’s exhausting.” To make it worse, it doesn’t allow Ruby to pursue her real passion – singing. “ I’ve been interpreting my whole life,” an exasperated Ruby laments. Ruby loves her family deeply, but she’s carried this obligation since she was a child and it’s wearing her down. This makes it especially tough for Ruby who is counted on to be her family’s interpreter and general go-between. Frank fights to keep their business afloat, but without Ruby present, communicating with the all-hearing public is next to impossible. Other hurdles have more serious implications especially when a local commission starts putting the squeeze on area fisherman. Sometimes it’s small things like the inability to gauge volume – the loud rattling of dishes, the noisy lovemaking coming from her parents’ bedroom, or the blaring music (Frank likes hip-hop, not for the music itself but for the vibration he feels from the speakers). In many ways Ruby is our conduit to a better understanding of the struggles at home and out in the community. Most importantly, Heder gives plenty of attention to each individual family member, fully fleshing out their unique personalities and trusting the cast to bring them to life.Īt the same time Heder doesn’t shy away from the real-life day-to-day challenges that comes with being deaf. And like so many other families working the North Shore, they feel the financial strain of the struggling fishing market. They laugh, they squabble, they get on each others nerves.
Heder puts a ton of effort into portraying the Rossi clan as a normal everyday family who in many ways aren’t too different than anyone else. One of the great accomplishments of “CODA” is its ability to enlighten while also expelling myths about the deaf community. Together they make for a feisty but loving group. Back home the fourth member of the Rossi clan is Ruby’s mom Jackie (Marlee Matlin), also deaf. She works the tub with her salty and grizzled father Frank (Troy Kotsur) and her ambitious old brother Leo (Daniel Durant), both deaf. Emilia Jones plays Ruby who we first meet on her family’s boat reeling in nets and separating flounder, crab, and the occasional leather boot. While “La Famille Bélier” was set on a dairy farm in rural France, “CODA” (short for ‘child of deaf adults’) is about a family of fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It had its premiere at Sundance and was quickly gobbled up by Apple for a record setting $25 million. Both written and directed by Heder, “CODA” is an English-language remake of a 2014 French dramedy “La Famille Bélier”. The heartwarming coming-of-age story follows 17-year-old Ruby, the lone hearing member of her culturally deaf family.
One of the most talked about movies from this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Sian Heder’s “CODA”.
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