Written by Andreas Babiolakis

During the awards season, I will be covering films that are a part of the discussion that have been out for a while.

The love for Sian Heder’s independent film CODA has had its ebbs and flows for the last year. Last January, it made a splash at Sundance, where Apple purchased the film for twenty five million dollars rather quickly. It took a while for the masses to see it, but it eventually arrived on the Apple TV+ platform in August. Word of mouth continued its reach, where it became the one crowd-pleasing indie film of 2021. It got Golden Globe nominations and rather shut out at the Independent Spirit Awards. Have no fear, as the Screen Actor Guild Awards came around and swing CODA’s strength back around. No matter what happens, CODA keeps coming back. It’s easy to see why with its easy-to-love exterior and by-the-numbers formula: all can identify with this picture on a series of levels (domestic dilemmas, teenhood, finding one’s passion, and more). However, it’s extremely eye-opening for many in a different way. CODA is a cute reference to the music angle of the film, but it also is an acronym for “child(ren) of deaf adults”, and Heder’s film is a highly real — and natural — look at how non-hearing households function, particularly around everyday life and the kinds of concerns that families have to face every now and then.

Its organic approach is one I am grateful for, because CODA may tiptoe the line between emotional filmmaking and kitschy, but it never fully gets into the latter unnatural territory. When I first started watching the film, I could instantly tell that this was an indie production (not that that’s a problem in any way), and was wondering where CODA would go from here. Rather quickly I forgot about the stripped-down nature of the film. I was sucked into the story of the Rossi family; the story itself is fine, but it is the performances that elevate the film to get as high as it can. Daughter Ruby Rossi is played really well by a young Emilia Jones, who has to be the anchor and the lead of the film; a similar challenge that her character faces (having to be the interpreter for her family, as the only member that is able to hear, whilst chasing her dream of singing). Her brother Leo (Daniel Durant) has a tougher exterior but an arguably softer heart, especially when he thaws for us to feel his hidden pain. Of course, the winners here are the Rossi parents. Marlee Matlin is established by now. We know she can act. She’s just as reliable here with her comedic timing and authentic charm, both amidst her knack for deeply rooted emotional resonance. For me, the strongest work is from Rossi father Troy Kotsur, who I think is a must in the Best Supporting Actor discussion. He is hilarious. He exudes his frustrations and anguishes. Yet it is his one moment of extreme vulnerability that is the centrepiece of CODA: a radiating scene of a father loving his daughter in a wholesomly cry-worthy way.

Otherwise, CODA kind of just happens. It’s as if its sole purpose was to provide representation in a medium that recycles tropes and stories again and again. With its goal, it greatly succeeds. It drives its many points — how society handles and/or neglects deaf/non-hearing persons, squashing stigmas, promoting inclusivity — home well. Maybe its conventional story is the best way it could get across to audiences. Then again, it is an adaptation of La Famille Bélier, directed by Éric Lartigau, which was previously lambasted for the casting of hearing actors in non-hearing roles (CODA corrected this very nicely). Perhaps Heder and company saw something valuable in the family dynamics and untold stories that La Famille Bélier attempted, and saw even better ways of projecting these same points. This could be the starting point of other representational works that can go even further, but this has to start somewhere. CODA allows its goal and its performances to take the lead, and these were the parts worth remembering the most anyway. As a result, its strongest elements most certainly will stick with you. It’s why CODA keeps wavering this awards season. Is it groundbreaking outside of its casting and central messages? Not really, but, again, that doesn’t matter. The film is pretty good overall, which usually disappears come awards season time (unless you have the promotional push of a lifetime, which happens often enough, let’s be honest), but no one will be able to shake it completely off. CODA will cement itself in your heart. It may even make you sob. Watch it for these reasons, because they’re worth it alone.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.