• Coda

2/6/22 (Sun)

An entertaining if by-the-book feel-good story about the only hearing child of deaf adults (= CODA). Ruby (a superb Emilia Jones) is literally the ears and mouth of her parents and deaf elder brother, who run a fishing boat. Interpreting for them in their business dealings and accompanying them on the boat, she makes it possible for them to maintain their independence. But it also deprives her of a normal life. Their idea of family experiences includes farts and dating-site photos, which engage senses that they can share. She joins the choir at school on the spur of the moment when she notices a certain boy putting his name in. There she finds that she has talent, discovering her own voice in a way. She wants to break free and become a singer, especially when she gets an offer to audition for a major music university, but that would mean leaving the family without a voice of their own just as they are attempting to rally other fisherman to oppose the greedy fish brokers. The story is thus not only about her need to break free but theirs as well.

Other elements thrown in include a love interest, a queeny Hispanic choral teacher, nasty middlemen scamming the family’s fishing profits, bullying from other students, a dramatic near-accident on the boat aggravated by the family’s inability to hear, and the kitchen sink, for all I can remember. Will she win the guy? Will she pass the audition? Will she leave her family and pursue her own goals? Will her coach return to the audition after she’s offended him by being late? Will her family be accepted by the community? Will she… but we get the idea.

Still, while she and the family deal with every cliché in the book as well as a barrage of challenges that would fill three movies, the story is enlivened by the deaf angle, which happily is not unduly exploited for false sympathy. While we can see everything coming from the beginning, at least it’s nicely packaged. When the girl sings “Both Sides Now” at the audition, viewed by her parents, was there any doubt that she would sign it for them? And yet the film carried off the moment adeptly and very movingly. (Though it still doesn’t compare to the amazing signed scene at the end of the film’s Oscar rival Drive My Car when the mute girl gestures her lines in the Vanya production. That was a true original.)

This is a remake of a French film, as evidenced by the large number of French names among the creative staff, but the feel of the piece was completely Hollywood. Emilia Jones is British, meaning she had to learn not only an American accent (flawless) but American sign language for the role. She was as good as it gets. I was wary when I heard that the creators, in a departure from the original film, intentionally chose three deaf actors in the leads, suggesting that they were putting politics before art. Luckily my worries were completely unfounded. Marlee Matlin, the only real “name” in the movie, was terrific as always, especially in the moving scene where she tells her daughter that she had wished for a deaf child. I loved her reaction in the concert, when, cut off from the sound, she could only tell how her daughter was doing by observing the reactions of those around her. (This was beautifully shown when the director briefly mutes the sound entirely, letting us experience something of the sensation of deafness.) The father is a quirky comic foil with a tendency toward the outrageous – his instruction to Ruby’s boyfriend to use a condom was a sight to behold. The role felt purposely over-the-top with all the open sex talk, but it was fortunate to be played by the fearless Troy Katsur, a former Cyrano (who was in Tokyo many years ago in a memorable production of Deaf West Theatre’s Big River). The brother, a quick-tempered macho type who doesn’t shy from barroom fights to preserve his dignity, was again a role skirting on stereotype saved by a nice performance by Daniel Durant. The music teacher, Eugenio Derbez, apparently a star in his native Mexico, did his best in the film’s most formulaic role, including lines that sounded like they came from other movies, while Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as the boyfriend made little impression.

The music is mostly 1970s pieces like Marvin Gaye and Joni Mitchell, and the singing style is the usual melisma-filled wannabe gospel. I wish they could have come up with something more interesting. “Both Sides Now”, though very well done, was an odd choice with all the talk of false illusions and such; for songs in that mold, I would have opted for “The Circle Game”, which would also have been a subtle statement from the girl to her family about moving on with life. Also, when the teacher was talking about unusual voices with character, I would have thought Billie Holiday a better example than Bob Dylan. To each his own, I guess.

I wouldn’t call this film particularly original in either its writing or direction, but it’s extremely well crafted and enjoyable. I can see how it was so popular at Sundance, where this kind of film thrives. Highly recommended for the performances and the interesting portrait of deaf life.