CODA - A Delight in Every Way

 

Streaming on Apple TV+ 

   While I still enjoy and miss the theater experience, It's comforting to know that many fun, heartwarming, and entertaining gems can be found with the mere flick of the remote. CODA is such a fantastic film with tons of heart and genuine spirit; it made me proud to have an Apple TV+ subscription. Also, I cried a little. 

    The story follows a young girl named Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only one among her deaf family who can hear. She's spent most of her early life helping out her father, Frank (Troy Kostur), and her brother on their fishing boat. She's also been the family's regular interpreter for just about everything else. While her family has always been loving (usually), Ruby has sometimes felt trapped. Not helped by her recent discovery of her passion for singing. When her talent grabs the attention of one of her school teachers, Bernardo (Eugenio Derbez), he offers Ruby the chance at a scholarship to college. As much as she wants to take advantage of this incredible opportunity, she cares for her family just as much, if not more. It makes things even more complicated because they just started their own fishing business and can't afford a different interpreter. Ruby must now decide what she wants for herself and her family. A decision that's not easy to make. 

    This film has tremendous amounts of charm, heart, and wit. The story is simple yet full of complex feelings and relatable conflicts. The performances are incredibly fantastic, especially by legendary deaf actress Marlee Matlin as Ruby's mother. Both spoken and signed dialogue practically sings (pun somewhat intended). 

    The story reminded me of the early life of legendary silent film star Lon Chaney. Raised by deaf parents, he learned to communicate through body language early on, which gave him an edge in the early days of film performance. Being his own make-up man and creating some of the most iconic faces in early cinema history also helped a bit. 

    The music is beautiful throughout, and Emilia Jones has a fantastic voice. If your main character is intended to be identified by her singing, you'd better make sure you hire someone with pipes, which she has in spades. 

    While I may have a few minor nitpicks with parts of the script, they are lost in the blinding light of the film's overall beautiful quality. As of this writing, CODA won the Acadamy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture of the year. While I haven't seen every single film nominated for Best Picture this year, I am confident that this is, in all likelihood, the most worthy. Even if it didn't win the award, it still deserves to be seen. This is one family story just about everyone can relate to somehow. 

    Absolutely worth the Apple TV+ subscription. Check it out. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.