Skip to main content

CODA (2021)


CODA is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder. An English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille BΓ©lier, it stars Emilia Jones as the titular child of deaf adults (CODA). CODA won numerous accolades. At the 94th Academy Awards, the film won all three of its nominations – Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Kotsur), and Best Adapted Screenplay – becoming the first film distributed by a streaming service to win Best Picture.

As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

Freddy and Krasnaya Movie Review
***SPOILER ALERT***

F: CODA is a light and heartwarming movie with an interesting coming of age conflict to be resolved. I honestly thought that this movie would suck after looking at the movie poster and knowing that there was going to be singing. But the movie got me. It got me good. I loved that family. This movie might have its cheap moments, but the subject matter related to the main characters made everything feel fresh. Old, "ancient" jokes worked again. And the usual vomiting tender family moments (I'm a cynical human being) felt sweet.

K: Hey Freddy! So we are moving on and today is CODA - the 2022 Oscar winner for Best Picture! I've found out again, that like the previous movie we watched (Nightmare Alley) this one is also a remake. The original was a French movie - La famille BΓ©lier (2014). Although Sian Heder went much further than the original movie, she only wanted to cast deaf actors for the roles of the members of the Rossi family. The movie is very kind and incredibly touching; there are many moments that make me smile. And there are many moments that may make someone want to wipe a tear from their eyes. There is a lot of music and singing in the film, but the film as a whole is not about music or singing at all. It is about the life of an ordinary person in a not quite ordinary family. And during the credits roll I realized that I never even thought about how deaf people communicate with their ordinary loved ones.

Father explains the importance of using a condom
That one time in Vietnam 🀣
F: The movie's subject, in my opinion, is important to be talked about. I've worked for 3 years with people with disabilities. Deaf people have it easy on them in comparison to, let's say tetraplegics. What I want to say is that it is important to understand that deaf people are totally independent and don't need our pity, but we can surely help by insisting on creating a more accessible world for everyone. Unfortunately, seeing what's happening today, I feel we are far from building a compassionate world and letting humanity show its better side. Seems like we roam in that opposite direction. The one the Nazis were so fond of. Thus, the importance of this movie, and why I think the Oscar for best picture is well deserved. Don't get me wrong. This isn't the only reason for the golden statue. There's a great story and wonderful acting in this movie. Troy Kotsur won a well-deserved Oscar for his role as the father; his character was very charismatic.

K: Totally agree with you, dear Freddy! All the actors did a great job; they managed to open each character fully. The film really hooked me at the moment of the concert. The first time is when Ruby's father sees everyone clapping to the beat, and he wants to do it too. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't catch the rhythm. And what made this scene great was the muting of the sound during the singing.

Deaf people clapping to the beat
Needs more bass.
F: I liked that scene very much, but that final moment with Ruby (Emilia Jones) and her father was the one that got me good 😒. One thing that we were discussing related to this movie's subject was that there is no universal sign language. Has this even been talked about before? Wouldn't that be great to create?! Not only for deaf people, but because it would be really worth teaching this in schools? I can only see a huge upgrade in humanity's intelligence with a program like this. I got a little sidetracked in our talk about the movie, but I can conclude by saying that it was a very uplifting experience.

K: After thinking about universal sign language, I decided that it's probably good to have different ones as we ordinary people do.
We definitely recommend watching this movie! CODA is a kind and life-affirming film that will not leave you indifferent.

Touching moment CODA
This MF scene got me good...
Freddy's Score: 72/100
Krasnaya's Score: 87/100

FINAL SCORE

INTERVIEW WITH SIAN HEDER

CAST INTERVIEW

BEHIND THE SCENES

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kpop Demon Hunters (2025)

Plot Summary: Three talented young K-pop trainees discover they have supernatural abilities to battle ancient demons lurking in modern-day Korea. They must balance their demanding training for a much-anticipated debut with their secret mission to protect the world. Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Screenplay: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Producer: Michelle Wong Music: Marcelo Zarvos Starring: Arden Cho as Rumi May Hong as Mira Ji-young Yoo as Zoey Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu Yunjin Kim as Celine Ken Jeong as Bobby Lee Byung-hun as Gwi-Ma   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peer Pressure & Pleasant Surprises My daughter came home from school the other day looking like she'd been left out of the cool kids' club because she was the only one who hadn't seen Kpop Demon Hunters. I knew right then my Satur...

CJ7 (2008)

Plot Summary: A poor construction worker and his young son struggle to make ends meet in a cramped, crumbling house. When the boy discovers a mysterious alien creature from a trash heap, he names it CJ7 and hopes it will grant him superpowers, instead he gets a poop machine gun and a broken heart. Chinese Title: ι•·ζ±Ÿ7θ™Ÿ (ChΓ‘ng Jiāng 7 HΓ o) Director: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, Tsang Kan-Cheong, Sandy Shaw Lai-King, Fung Chi-Keung, Lam Fung Producers: Stephen Chow, Han Sanping, Po-Chu Chui Cinematography: Poon Hang-Sang Music: Raymond Wong Ying-Wah Starring: Stephen Chow as Ti Xu Jiao as Dicky Zhang Yuqi as Ms. Yuen Lam Chi-chung as Ti's Construction Boss Jiro Lee as Mr. Cao   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A Traumatic Trip Down Memory Lane I only have two more Stephen Chow movies left to watch to complete h...

The Bad Guys 2 (2025)

Plot Summary: The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do "one last job" by an all-female squad of criminals. Director: Pierre Perifel Screenplay: Yoni Brenner, Etan Cohen Based on: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey Edited by: Jesse Averna Music: Daniel Pemberton Produced by: Damon Ross Starring: Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf Marc Maron as Mr. Snake Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula / "Webs" Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington / Crimson Paw Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat Natasha Lyonne as Doom / "Susan" Maria Bakalova as Pigtail Petrova Alex Borstein as Misty Luggins Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ ...

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Plot Summary: In 1940s Shanghai, a wannabe gangster named Sing aspires to join the notorious Axe Gang. His bungled attempt to extort the residents of Pig Sty Alley inadvertently leads to a gang war that gradually reveals surprising martial arts masters hiding among the slum's humble residents. Directors: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, Tsang Kan-cheung Story by: Stephen Chow Cinematography: Poon Hang-sang Edited by: Angie Lam Music by: Raymond Wong Starring: Stephen Chow as Sing Danny Chan as Brother Sum Yuen Qiu as Landlady Yuen Wah as Landlord Leung Siu-lung as Beast Xing Yu as Coolie Chiu Chi-ling as Tailor Dong Zhihua as Donut Lam Chi-chung as Bone Huang Shengyi as Fong Tin Kai-man as Adviser Gar Hong-hay and Fung Hak-on as Harpists Introduction: A ...

Frank Oz: From Worst to Best

I've finished my Frank Oz filmography a while back and hadn't had the time to post here the rank and some thoughts about his work. Let's try to refresh my memory and give you some of my opinions... man. Frank Oz is a true legend. At 81, he's not just a brilliant filmmaker but also a puppeteer and writer whose characters, from the Muppets to Sesame Street, have touched countless lives. His directing career is full of outstanding, entertaining movies; out of 14 films, there's really only one rotten apple in the bunch. I'm not sure if he's planning to make any more movies, but I'd love to see him try his hand at a serious drama, just to see him flex a different creative muscle. I wouldn't like to be that famous, I value my privacy. Mind you, Miss Piggy enjoys every moment of it. If it were not for me, she would spend all her time in the limelight. Frank OZ This is his entire fi...

Deep Sea (2023)

Plot Summary: After a traumatic experience with her father, a young girl named Nanhe drifts into a fantastical underwater world. There she meets Shenxiu, the chef of a floating restaurant, and embarks on a dreamlike adventure filled with bizarre creatures and surreal landscapes, ultimately revealing deeper truths about loss, acceptance, and healing. Director: Tian Xiaopeng Screenplay: Tian Xiaopeng Producers: Qiao Yi Cinematography: Mazhiyuan Cheng Music: Mao Buyi, Tang Hanxiao, MIUMIU Starring: Tingwen Wang as Shenxiu Xin Su as Nanhe Kuixing Teng as Dafu Ting Yang as A Hua Jing Ji as Mama   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Forget 'Spirited Away' Keeping up with my Chinese movie journey, I stumbled upon a film that, oddly enough, none of my friends on Red Note recommended. They must be missing out, because Deep Sea by director Tian Xia...