CODA

The winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture of 2022, CODA stars Emilia Jones as the only hearing member of her deaf family (Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, and Daniel Durant) whose reliance chafes on the high school senior who, despite loving them, wants a life outside the family. She finds this unexpectedly by following a cute boy (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) into choir where Ruby discovers she has a talent for singing that might lead to a future she could never have dreamed of.

In what I'd refer to as a Coyote Ugly ending, the plot falls a bit into cliché with Ruby running late to a life-changing audition without ever working out the logistics of the happy ending it promises. Despite this, the film is a moving experience highlighting the role of an unique individual whose circumstances make her feel like an outcast to the outside world but who, with the help of her teacher (Eugenio Derbez), begins to chase an impossible dream.

Now back in theaters, and available on Apple TV+, CODA is worth seeking out for its strong performances and emotional, if somewhat predictable, arc of this crowd-pleasing drama. Troy Kotsur earned the Best Supporting Actor for his role of Ruby's father becoming only the second deaf actor to win an Oscar (his co-star Matlin being the other). Jones, who has the weight of the film on her shoulders, has the difficult role of loving but resenting the constant needs of her family who become shocked at her new interests and fearful it may take her away from them. It's easy to root for Ruby, so easy that even her family can't hold out forever.

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• Title: CODA
• IMDb: link