"CODA" // SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021
There are films that so heavily rely on familiar storytelling territory that throughout the story, you'll keep telling yourself, "I've seen this before," possibly turning it into a chore of a viewing. Then there are those films that walk a well-worn path but improves on it. CODA, I'm happy to say, is that kind of film, one that introduces a world that feels fresh, hopeful and wholly original. A remake of the 2014 French film LA FAMILLE BÉLIER, CODA (which stands for "Child of Deaf Adults") follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a 17-year-old hearing daughter to an entirely deaf family, who all work on the family's fishing boat in Massachusetts. Being the only hearing member, Ruby has spent her life being a translator for her parents, doing everything from communicating to local fishermen to awkwardly having to tell her father's doctor about her parents sex life during a checkup.
Her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) relies heavily on Ruby, so much that her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) sometimes feels invisible, as if he can't do everything Ruby can simply because he is deaf. That being said, it's a loving family, one that has found its exact rhythm over the years. At school, Ruby has a solid best friend in Gertie (Amy Forsyth) but is also often teased. She's quiet and unassuming, the perfect target for a group of insecure popular girls. However, when she sees her secret crush Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) sign up for choir, she decides to take action and instantly do so as well, almost without even realizing she does. Ruby sings often, to herself as her family can't hear, on their fishing boat but never in front of others. Yet her choir teacher Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) sees something special in her, something that makes him want to privately tutor her in hopes of landing an audition for Berklee College of Music. Just like that, Ruby's life is turned upside down.
Writer/Director Siân Heder has done a fantastic job adapting the original story into a crowd pleasing sure to be hit. Her transformation of the family from dairy farmers to local fishermen is an inspired one and gives the film a powerful weight. Another notable change is that Ruby's family are all played by deaf actors, something that the original did not feature (only the son was played by a deaf actor in the original French film). Emilia Jones is truly a standout here. She holds a quiet power throughout the film, blending self-deprecating humor with a wispy innocence that tears away at your heart. She also does her own singing and her voice is anchord with the sound of someone who has a lot of stories to tell. Daniel Durant, as the overlooked son, gives a searing intensity to his character and as her loving parents, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur are a great dynamic duo. They both give fully realized performances that feel lived in and fresh. Though they aren't always as understanding as Ruby would hope (Matlin, once she finds out that her daughter wants to sing, asks her, "If I was blind, would you want to paint?"), the four fit so perfectly as a family you may swear that they actually are. There are plenty of happy tear moments throughout (from the Berklee audition to the end, this critic was a bit of a mess) and even more joy to be felt. CODA is an earnest, quietly powerful film that will surely warm you over instantly.
GRADE: A-
BASED ON THE FILM LA FAMILLE BÉLIER WRITTEN BY Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Éric Lartigau, Thomas Bidegain SCREENPLAY AND DIRECTED BY Siân Heder STARRING Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2021 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: CODA