Review | Oscar-winning ‘CODA’ shines light on underrepresented community

Sian Heder directs 'CODA,' a movie starring Emilia Jones whose character takes on the difficult task of choosing family or her dream. Photo collage by DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

In preparation for the Oscars, movie lovers around the world pulled up the Academy Awards website to determine which Best Picture-nominated film should be next on their watch list. “CODA,” written and directed by Sian Heder, seemed to be the perfect pick to fulfill the need for a feel-good movie.

The film features Emilia Jones in the leading role as Ruby Rossi, a young hearing girl who lives in a small coastal house in Massachusetts with her entirely deaf family. Her mom, Jackie, is played by Oscar award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, her father, Frank, is portrayed by Troy Kotsur and her brother, Leo, is played by Daniel Durant, all of whom are deaf actors. 

Ruby's family makes a living off of their fishing business, and she is often seen helping the business during her free time — which means early hours catching fish followed by a full day at school. Although she has committed to helping her family with the business once she graduates high school, she realizes her true passion and dream is to pursue singing. 

“CODA” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021 and was purchased by Apple for a record-breaking $25 million. In August of the same year, "CODA" was released in theaters as well as available to stream on Apple TV+.

The movie title, “CODA,” is actually a double entendre. In the Deaf community, CODA is an acronym that stands for a child of deaf adults. But in the music world, a coda is an “independent passage, at the end of a composition, introduced to bring it to a satisfactory close.” 

As I settled into my couch to start the film, I felt wary that the story would be the same as most other feel-good movies I’d come across. The classic trope would go as follows: the seemingly perfect family encounters conflict, the main character defies their parents’ wishes, but in the end they all live together happily ever after.

To my surprise, this was not the case. Not only is “CODA” a heartwarming, coming-of-age story, but Heder tactfully creates a film with a beating heart that can easily resonate with almost any family regardless of their dynamic.

In addition to creating a universal feeling of sentimentality among viewers, Heder was also tasked with the important job of accurately representing the Deaf community, despite having no prior connection herself. Heder made it her mission to only cast deaf actors to portray the deaf characters in the film. Another way Heder proved her commitment to the authenticity of the film was by taking American Sign Language (ASL) lessons. 

But it wasn’t only Heder who poured her heart into the movie. Jones had to step up to the role of Ruby by mastering signing, singing, managing a fishing boat and perfecting an American accent. Jones’ dedication paid off in the end with her phenomenal performance winning over the hearts of viewers.

Due to Heder’s faultless writing ability, the script is so clear and well structured that each character is able to freely have their own subplot without losing the viewer along the way. The key is that there is a strong central story arc that moves viewers along. Because of this mass audience appeal, “CODA” was nominated for Best Picture for the 2022 Academy Awards, and to my pleasure (and surprise), it won.

Not only was “CODA” awarded Best Picture, but Kotsur became the first deaf man to ever win an acting Oscar and did so under the “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” category. Kotsur’s touching performance and real-life experience with hearing children helped him execute the role in a heartfelt and vulnerable way. Martin, who plays his wife in the movie, was the first deaf person to ever win an Oscar.

In an interview with NPR, Kotsur discusses how his personal life reflects scenes in the movie. For example, his own hearing daughter is learning to play the guitar, and sometimes he will touch the instrument to feel her strumming.

The movie contains a universal feel-good quality, making it attractive to a wide audience and a perfect Oscar contender. Get comfortable on the couch and stream “CODA” on Apple TV+ for an enjoyable experience filled with plenty of heartfelt smiles and maybe even a couple of tears.