One can tell when a movie is made by and with the people the movie is about. CODA has moments in it that show it wasn't just hearing people telling a story about a deaf family but that the lived experience of deaf people and the children of deaf adults was infused into the film. The film is produced to be experienced in two languages, English and ASL, filmed so both languages are accessible. Often films by hearing people which feature deaf characters don't get this.
Emilia Jones has a break out opportunity here and both manages the performance aspect of her character with the singing. It is a joy when she sings and the pain in her angsty teen heart is palpable. But her family, especially Troy Kotsur as her father, are also brought to stunning real life and their experience of her passion for music is contrasted with her own in a way that is revelatory and profound. The film captures this dynamic in such a powerful way.
I want to comment as well on Marius de Vries' beautiful score. The song choices are lovely here but the original music is gorgeous as well.
To be fair the plot is rather perfunctory in that it's about a teen who needs to chart her own path from her family and their need to let her go. We've seen that story a million times. But CODA does such an honest job of bringing this story, in this specific context to life from all sides (cleverly using Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now to highlight this) so we can feel the real struggle for all the characters. CODA really brings us something new, and a new exciting star to follow.
CODA
Starring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotzur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant
Writer/Director: Sian Heder
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