PEOPLE with disabilities in movies or shows are usually secondary characters, at best, and at worst they are the butt of the joke. Very rarely, if at all, are they allowed to be the focus of the story.
CODA, since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival early last year, has won acclaim for its realistic (or at least realistic feeling) depiction of an average family of working-class Deaf Americans. In fact, it recently received three Academy Awards nominations celebrating this achievement.
At first glance, the plot of CODA is rather simple and has been done before. A small-town girl has big dreams that bring her into conflict with her family. But to think of this film in those simple terms would be selling it incredibly short.
For one, the daughter, Ruby Rossi (played by Emilia Jones) is the one member of the family, apart from her parents and brother, who can hear. This is what the title of the movie, CODA, or Child of Deaf Adults is referring to.
This means that even though Ruby is the youngest member of the family, she has responsibilities a typical teenager her age would not have. Namely, she speaks and hears on their behalf when they are out in the community. This ranges from ordering food at restaurants to helping run the family business.
What’s also special about the movie is its regional specificity in that it feels like a real place populated by real people. While it is a movie, it feels entirely believable.
The Rossi’s family trade is fishing, which family patriarch Frank (Troy Kotsur) stresses, has been a tradition since at least his grandfather. Ruby, Frank and her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) work on the boat, and sell their fish to a wholesaler. Unfortunately, they and the other fishermen in the community are struggling to make a living.
While that adds some drama to the story, it is not the dilemma at the heart of the film.
From the very first scene, we meet Ruby we know she’s a good singer, a talent that her family is, unfortunately, unable to appreciate. At high school, she’s not the most popular person and keeps to herself, internalising years of being made fun of by being from the “deaf family.”
Volunteering for choir, she meets Mr Bernardo (Eugenio Derbez), a music teacher who sees something in her and decides to help her harness her talents. As is typical for these types of movies, he’s unorthodox in his methods, as he has his students sing 70s era Motown and R&B classics.
Ruby has to choose between furthering her singing ability, and eventually leaving to go to music school, or staying behind and helping the family business. It’s not black and white – the push and pull is palpable.
Despite the typical familial friction, the Rossis are a loving family, with parents Frank and Jackie (Marlee Matlin) still being physical in the affections. It’s just the very real barrier of their disability that doesn't allow them to understand their daughter.
CODA really hammers home the ability of communication to separate us, but to also bring us together. The Rossis other than Ruby might not be able to hear, and that restricts them from most other people, but it doesn’t stop them from getting the most out of life.
We get to see sign language used in both creative comedic moments, as well as powerful dramatic moments. The playfulness or the forcefulness of the hand movements can convey just as much as the tone or volume of someone’s voice.
Emilia Jones reportedly spent nine months learning American Sign Language, as well as taking singing lessons and learning to operate a fishing trawler, and the results speak for themselves in a powerful natural performance.
But the rest of the cast is equally capable of bringing their characters to life, with Troy Katsur earning the distinction of being the first Deaf male actor to receive an acting Oscar nomination.
As a small family drama, CODA’s power creeps up on you. It’s buoyed by genuinely good musical performances of great songs, as well as a tangible sense of humanity. It’s an uplifting film with genuine tearjerker moments that will leave you smiling. – The Vibes, February 24, 2022
CODA is available exclusively on Apple TV+
