2021--Coda, Sian Heder

2121--CODA, Sian Heder 

Nominated: Belfast, Don't Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, Power of the Dog, West Side Story 

Should Have Won: Coda 

Be Sure to See: Godzilla Vs. Kong, Halloween Kills, The Little Things, Old, A Quiet Place 2 

"Duet. It's in the word. You must duet together."--Mr. Villalobos

After Ben-Hur (1959) and The Departed (2006), CODA is only the third remake to win the coveted best picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. This retelling of the 2014 French film LaFamille Belier follows the Rossi family, particularly daughter Ruby who is the only member who is not deaf. Ruby is played by Emilia Jones who carries the movie as she is in practically every scene. It could be irony or coincidence that the one thing Ruby cares most about is singing, something her family could never really experience. Except, of course, for the hard bass in rap which her father Frank says he enjoys. Though the film really focuses on Ruby, each character has his or her running story, as does the family unit as a whole. 

Their income relies on their daily fish catch and every employee is affected when an issue arises at work. It is Frank who speaks up with the help of Ruby who interprets. Everyone hears how angry he is, but I think even if she were not there to interpret, his non-verbal action really gets the point across. There are two stories running in this movie. Along with the family business and Ruby's interpreting, Ruby joins a choir to pursue her dream of singing. A good portion of the movie deals with her and a boy singing a duet of Marvin Gaye and Tammie Terrell's You're all I need to get by. Though the family's plot is the main focus, there is a lot of this second storyline I enjoyed, People have always teased Ruby because of her abnormal family which I'm not sure how realistic that is. I, like her duet partner Miles, think it is pretty cool to be the only hearing member of a deaf family. And I particularly like the choice of song. I honestly don't know if it was intended but You're all I need to get by seems appropriate since the deaf members of the family rely so much on Ruby to interpret. That's my thought, anyway. 

The choir teacher, Mr. Villalobos, was probably my favorite character. He was really complex. He was kind of a douche yet at the same time really cared about his students, particularly, Ruby. Helpful and a jerk at the same time; difficult to pull off. Like many sports movies that build up to "the big game", this movie builds up to the concert which the family attends. I sort of predicted something would happen but in more of a wishing way. I thought, "man you what this movie should do? This." And then a minute later it happened. Good decision.. Predictable, I guess, but correct. Watching the audience made me think of the scenes in old silent movies when they didn't put the dialogue cards on the screen. Could you still follow the plot simply by watching the actors' expressions? They say communication is mostly non-verbal and this scene is a great example of that. The deaf members of the family looking at the expressions of the audience members was the best moment of the movie for me. 

An important aspect of the movie is how Ruby wants to go to Berkley to sing but her parents would prefer her to stay home. Her brother, who is another key character in the movie, has strong feelings about the matter as well. What the final decision ends up being I'll let you discover but I found it kind of weird they were making it feel like she would have to travel so far away. I looked it up. Berkley is only about 35 miles from Gloucester, their hometown. Could it be her parents wanted her to stay not for emotional attachment to their daughter but because they simply needed her to be an interpreter? 

For the past few years , the Academy Awards have made sure to focus on minorities. This year, a new group was represented. Deaf characters played by deaf actors represented the best picture Oscar. CODA was a very well-made and thoughtful movie. Many times in dramas, the comedic scenes seem forced or out of place. The ones here fit with how the family lived. As far as Oscar-worthy movies go, I don't feel it had many technical strengths. Editing and cinematography and so on, but the story and acting carried it. I cared about the characters and I hope to see more from Emilia Jones, the lead actress, and Troy Kotsur the lead actor. I'd like to hear what else they have to say. 

NOTE: In case you're curious about the title's meaning, CODA is not referring to the ending of a piece of music but an acronym for Child Of Deaf Adult. It is fitting, however, this movie does deal with music.