Review: CODA

Image courtesy of Apple TV.

Sian Heder's "CODA" is a crowd pleaser in the best sense of the word. It's a film that takes what would come off as cliches in other films - a young person wanting to pursue a dream is held back by family obligations, trains with a coach who believes in her and discovers romance along the way - and makes them feel sincere. It also helps that the film has a unique hook: In the film, Ruby (Emilia Jones) is a CODA, a child of deaf adults.

Ruby's dream is to sing, which she realizes after she chooses choir as her elective during her senior year of high school as a means to be near Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, of "Sing Street"), on whom she has a crush. Her parents - Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and Frank (Troy Kotsur) - and brother, Leo (Daniel Durant), are all deaf, and she is the only family member with hearing. This helps the family business - they operate a boat for fishing somewhere in small-town New England - as Ruby acts as the ears for her father and brother when the Coast Guard is trying to alert them or while negotiating fish sales.

But it is music teacher Bernardo Villalobos (a very funny Eugenio Derbez) who recognizes Ruby's talent, although he warns her not to waste his time due to her constant tardiness that is a result of her constantly having to be on-hand to help the family business. Yes, this is another of those films in which a young person must decide whether to be burdened by the duties of family or pursue their passion. But this one does it with charm and heart.

One of the revolutionary aspects of the picture is how much silence exists during its running time. Not since "A Quiet Place" has a film done so much with the lack of spoken words. Not only are there numerous scenes during which Ruby and her family communicate solely through sign language, but there's a really great use of sound and the lack thereof during a performance where Ruby's parents must look around at the faces of the people in the audience to see how their daughter's singing affects them.

It also helps that Jones is real talent, both as an actress and singer. She can really belt out the songs - "Both Sides Now" and "You're All I Need to Get By" - she practices with Villalobos and the choir. The film culminates in the type of emotional climax one might expect from such a film, but it's well earned. And during a recital sequence at a prestigious school near the film's end, the filmmakers do exactly what you expect them to, but it works because of the great work the cast has done to make you care about these characters.

"CODA" was one of the biggest hits of this year's Sundance Film Festival, and it's easy to see why. This is a lovely little movie with a bunch of great performances, a good amount of humor, a heroine who's easy to cheer for and solid writing. The only shame is that, much like so many films in the era of COVID-19, it will likely be seen by most on a computer screen or TV, rather than in a theater. Regardless, seek it out wherever you can find it.