Film Review: CODA (2021): Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin Shine in a Compelling Tearjerker

CODA Review

CODA (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Sian Heder and starring Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, John Fiore, Lonnie Farmer, Kevin Chapman, Amy Forsyth, Molly Beth Thomas, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Ayana Brown, Kyana Fanene, Stone Martin and Eugenio Derbez.

CODA (the letters of which stands for Child of Deaf Adult) is a movie that is so well-meaning that criticizing the little problems in it could feel a bit wrong. The three central performances are very good with the two principal female actresses, Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin, perhaps award worthy. The third performance that works really well in the picture is the one by Troy Kotsur. The movie revolves around a family of four that works in the fish business. The mother Jackie (Matlin) and the father Frank (Kotsur) are deaf and so is the son, Leo (Daniel Durant). The daughter, Ruby (Jones) is sort of the glue that holds them all together in this profession as she is not deaf and serves as an interpreter for them as she is able to communicate through sign language. Ruby is just a teenager, though, and she is one with an incredible gift for singing as the film soon unveils. CODA has a lot on its plate theme-wise and isn’t afraid of getting into some difficult subject matter even if some of its scenes are somewhat awkward. I liked that about the movie.

This film is set in Gloucester in Cape Ann. As directed by Sian Heder, the movie’s premise treads on sometimes familiar ground. One character that felt familiar was Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) who runs the choir group that Ruby joins. Ruby is afraid to sing when she first signs up but Mr. V has just enough expertise to bring out the best in her in time to help her decide her future and where she will go to college. College was never a possibility for Ruby until Mr. V begins to guide her in the right direction. But, Ruby’s family depends on her for survival in their business. What will happen? Though what does happen isn’t exactly groundbreaking, this story line does captivate the viewer throughout with enough fresh scenarios that it doesn’t feel as cliched as it could have in a different director’s hands.

Mr. Holland’s Opus is an older film that had portrayed a man who was a teacher with a deaf son, sort of the opposite of this movie where the child can hear and the parents cannot. I mention that film because I felt some of the scenes with Mr. V and Ruby reminded me of subplots in the older movie where the teacher (Richard Dreyfuss) works with a talented singer (Jean Louisa Kelly) and a not so talented student (Alicia Witt) as well and makes them strive to achieve their potential. Both movies also portray the struggles of a family where either the child or parents are deaf depending on the picture.

CODA achieves some of the greatness Mr. Holland’s Opus did but not all of it. CODA‘s strength lies more on the familial aspects of it as opposed to the educational ones. I felt CODA was exceptionally strong in its portrayal of the mother Jackie played by Marlee Matlin who is an Oscar winner for Children of a Lesser God. Jones and Matlin share a great scene together where their characters “discuss” the mother’s concerns from back when she first had Ruby. Matlin’s character is fascinating here and there is some nice interaction between the two actresses. There is also a scene where Kotsur’s father character, Frank, interacts with Ruby and asks her to sing for him. It’s a tender moment in a film chock full of tear-jerking scenes.

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo serves as Ruby’s love interest, Miles. This love story aspect of the film is also one of the lesser successes of CODA. While young love is always a popular theme for coming-of-age movies, the romance here is formulaic and lacks the sense of urgency a truly moving romance would have. Of course, since Miles is just Ruby’s first love, there’s no need to dwell on the character of Miles but their romance is quickly forgettable.

What’s not easy to forget is the film’s songs especially one of them that is featured towards the film’s conclusion. Ruby sings “Both Sides Now,” a Joni Mitchell song, remarkably well and when she does so at an audition and uses sign language so her parents and her brother can understand what she is singing, there’s not going to be a dry eye in the audience. That emotion found in this scene is undeniably powerful.

CODA has its flaws but is so moving at times that it needs to be seen. A movie with a few flaws such as this one wouldn’t typically get as high a rating as I’m giving it but, then again, there are few movies that have as many special scenes of remarkable sensitivity as this one. CODA will warm your heart and make you think about the importance of dreams and family simultaneously. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 8/10

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