CODA (2021)

[Seelouis]

Anyone watch this yet?  On Apple TV +. Really well done, beautiful movie that had me laughing, crying, and quite moved. 

[Misslindsey]

On 8/13/2021 at 6:06 PM, Seelouis said:

Anyone watch this yet?  On Apple TV +. Really well done, beautiful movie that had me laughing, crying, and quite moved. 

I agree. It was a movie that I enjoyed a lot. I was also, laughing and crying during it all. The entire cast was wonderful and the lead actress Emilia Jones was fantastic.

[Jeddah]

On 8/13/2021 at 6:06 PM, Seelouis said:

Anyone watch this yet?  On Apple TV +. Really well done, beautiful movie that had me laughing, crying, and quite moved. 

It was beautifully done, wonderfully acted, with an interesting story, but I didn’t like it. I really wanted to, but I just found the characters so unlikeable. The dad’s whole description of his jock itch was supposed to be funny, but I just felt mortified on behalf of Ruby. No dad should be expecting his teenage daughter to talk to his doctor in graphic detail about his balls. I don’t find it endearing for a brother to call his sister a “twat waffle.” The big character growth is that they…let her go to college. That’s an incredibly low bar. I expected so much more from this movie.

[Jeddah]

It also really bothered me how helpless Ruby’s parents seemed. That’s not a universal experience for deaf people. Are deaf people discriminated against? Obviously. Can deaf adults take care of themselves without relying on their underage children? Yes, most can and do! It wasn’t deafness keeping Ruby’s parents from taking care of themselves. Legally, a court has to provide an interpreter, and I think most deaf people know that. But Ruby’s dad and brother just decided to make her do it. Little things like that took me out of the movie. 

Also, there’s no way Ruby would get into Berklee .

Edited August 20, 2021 by Jeddah

[Spartan Girl]

I finally watched it today, and it was very well done. Definitely deserves its nominations.

On 8/19/2021 at 10:47 AM, Jeddah said:

 

It also really bothered me how helpless Ruby’s parents seemed. That’s not a universal experience for deaf people. Are deaf people discriminated against? Obviously. Can deaf adults take care of themselves without relying on their underage children? Yes, most can and do! It wasn’t deafness keeping Ruby’s parents from taking care of themselves. Legally, a court has to provide an interpreter, and I think most deaf people know that. But Ruby’s dad and brother just decided to make her do it. Little things like that took me out of the movie.

 

Yes that bothered me quite a lot too. I get that they were broke and weren’t quite comfortable interacting with hearing people, but they did have options other than leaning on their daughter for everything. The mother also came off as dismissive when Ruby first told her about choir—she could have just said that it was nice to join choir, but she acted like Ruby couldn’t possibly be into music at so young an age. And yet it was clearly obvious Ruby wasn’t enthusiastic about the fishing business.

[Rickster]

On 8/19/2021 at 10:47 AM, Jeddah said:

It also really bothered me how helpless Ruby’s parents seemed. That’s not a universal experience for deaf people. Are deaf people discriminated against? Obviously. Can deaf adults take care of themselves without relying on their underage children? Yes, most can and do! It wasn’t deafness keeping Ruby’s parents from taking care of themselves. Legally, a court has to provide an interpreter, and I think most deaf people know that. But Ruby’s dad and brother just decided to make her do it. Little things like that took me out of the movie. 

Also, there’s no way Ruby would get into Berklee .

I spent a lot of the movie trying to figure out how in the world Ruby was able to fit in school and working on the fishing boat, and if her family just assumed she would spend the rest of her life taking care of them.

I agree, Berklee was just movie fantasy.

I’m surprised this got a best picture nomination.

[Brn2bwild]

I wanted to smack the teacher for most of the movie.  He was all "How dare you for wasting MY time" without even trying to understand Ruby's home life.  Interpreting for your parents isn't smoking joints behind the bleachers, but he acted as though Ruby was wasting time the same way.

[tv echo]

CODA  and Troy Kotsur won SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, respectively...
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/2022-sag-awards-winners-list-1235186124/ 

[snickers]

On 8/19/2021 at 10:47 AM, Jeddah said:

Legally, a court has to provide an interpreter, and I think most deaf people know that.

Yes, but you also have to request it in given timeframes per the ADA, and given these parents, I think we could all see that not happening --- the main character summed it up when she said, "i'm tired of being your free interpreter"

 

i think the parents knew what channels they had to go through to get an interpreter, but I think the point of the movie was, they were so used to Ruby being their interpreter they just assumed she would be doing it for them for the rest of their lives (and i'm sure in some families this does happen)

 

I really loved this movie, was not a masterpiece, but considering we have such few movies about deaf culture, this was a pretty accurate portrait of a CODA --- loved her audition scene at the end where she sang/signed for them, very powerful

 

as for the parents, i just looked at them as uneducated....to me they were no worse than hearing parents portrayed in any movie where the character is supposed to be embarrassing, i thought the dad was awesome -glad to see him winning awards

Edited March 1, 2022 by snickers

[tv echo]

PGA Awards: ‘CODA,’ ‘Succession’ Take Top Honors
BY KIRSTEN CHUBA, CHRIS GARDNER, RYAN GAJEWSKI, HILARY LEWIS, TYLER COATES    MARCH 19, 2022
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/producers-guild-awards-2022-winners-list-1235115036/ 

Quote

Taking the top prize, CODA won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures over fellow nominees Being the Ricardos, Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick … Boom! and West Side Story. The ceremony was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
*  *  *
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

CODA (WINNER)
Being the Ricardos
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick … Boom!
West Side Story

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by tv echo

[tv echo]

WGA Awards: ‘CODA,’ ‘Don’t Look Up’ Win Best Adapted, Original Screenplays
BY HILARY    MARCH 20, 2022
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/writers-guild-awards-2022-winners-list-1235115399/ 

Quote

CODA added another trophy to its haul this season at the 2022 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, as the Apple film about a hearing child in a deaf family won the award for best adapted screenplay.
*  *  *
Siân Heder’s screenplay for the film she also directed won the first award of the night at the Ashley Nicole Black-hosted virtual ceremony.

In a video acceptance speech, Heder said, “I had a really incredible education writing this script.”

And she thanked “the people from the deaf community who were my collaborators,” including her CODA and deaf consultants and sign-language advisers.
*  *  *
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA (WINNER)
Screenplay by Siân Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by tv echo

[Empress1]

On 2/13/2022 at 2:12 PM, Rickster said:

I spent a lot of the movie trying to figure out how in the world Ruby was able to fit in school and working on the fishing boat, and if her family just assumed she would spend the rest of her life taking care of them.

She was getting up at 3 AM and fishing with them before school (I thought "she didn't change before school? She must reek" and then the mom said it). That in and of itself is too much to ask of her, IMO, and it also speaks to how little her parents valued school for her. They didn't care that she was falling asleep in class, probably because they didn't see school as important because they assumed she'd just fish with them forever. And then adding in interpreter duties on top of that ... it was way, way too much. The parents could have gone to the doctor themselves and passed a notepad back and forth. And they didn't take her life into account at all - when the camera crew showed up to do the interview and the mom just assumed she'd interpret (and she was manipulative about it, asking if Ruby wanted them to fail), I was rooting for her to leave and go to practice with her music teacher.

I thought it was interesting that when Ruby was learning to talk as a baby, she spoke like a Deaf person because that's the way she was spoken to. I admit that idea hadn't occurred to me.

On 8/19/2021 at 10:47 AM, Jeddah said:

Also, there’s no way Ruby would get into Berklee .

At least she could sing. Her love interest ... could not. I mean, he wasn't BAD, he could sing on key, but he wasn't anything to get excited about - he wouldn't have made my high school's choir, let alone be considered a viable candidate for a prestigious music school.

On 2/12/2022 at 2:59 PM, Spartan Girl said:

The mother also came off as dismissive when Ruby first told her about choir—she could have just said that it was nice to join choir, but she acted like Ruby couldn’t possibly be into music at so young an age.

She laughed at Ruby when Ruby told her about choir, and centered herself - she thought Ruby just joined choir to spite her, basically. She asked "if I were blind, would you want to paint?" I was glad when Ruby called her out and said not everything was about her (although her mother was unfazed by that).

The parents made me mad but I enjoyed the story. It was funnier than I expected it to be.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Finally! Ten Best Picture nominees up, ten down. Thank goodness for the concept of the "free trial." 

It's a likable movie, and I didn't dislike any of the characters (well, any of the significant ones; I'm not counting walk-on snobs at the school), even when they did things that didn't show them at their best -- the love interest gabbing to his friend about Ruby's parents and not realizing it will get around, the parents undervaluing Ruby's life beyond being their support, the music teacher being a divo about his valuable time. In every case, I could see it from their point of view. For example, Ruby wasn't all that forthcoming with the music teacher about how stretched thin she was. She was the kind of person who would say "I'll be there at 6:30" and really mean to be there at 6:30, but something would come up. And I've dealt with people who overpromised, so I get it. I wouldn't have reacted well to a sulky "It was only 20 minutes" either. 

I was aware while watching it that it wasn't anything revolutionary as writing or filmmaking, and the pacing was more languid than it needed to be, but it shows us familiar scenes from an underexplored angle. For example, the mother and father have a bedroom discussion about whether to loosen their grip and let their daughter pursue her dreams. I've seen some version of that scene many times, but here it was with sign language, as well as with an undercurrent of dependency on their part...or, at least, a comfort and familiarity with the status quo. 

The characterization of the brother and his feelings about his sister's plans were interesting too. 

I think Kotsur is getting most of his awards on the basis of that scene where he asks her to sing the song to him. It's a shame Emilia Jones was excluded from the Best Actress Oscar race, because she had to learn a lot for this and she provided a strong center. 

It's this year's Minari. Neither was my favorite for the year at issue, but I was happy to have seen them, and I don't begrudge them their acclaim and success. 

[tv echo]

Coda won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and Troy Kotsur won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor...

Oscars 2022 winners list: Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, CODA win big at wildest Academy Awards in years
By Joey Nolfi      March 28, 2022
https://ew.com/awards/oscars/2022-oscars-winners-list/ 

Quote

Best Picture
Belfast
WINNER: CODA
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
*  *  *
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
WINNER: Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
*  *  *
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: Siân Heder, CODA
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth, Dune
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by tv echo

[EtheltoTillie]

I thought it was well done but still like an after school special. I’ll cross post over at unpopular opinions. 

[GreekGeek]

I saw this in my local cinema today. It was good to see a small film about real people get acclaim, and the actors were terrific. Knowing that the actors playing Ruby's family are all Deaf made the movie especially impressive. But everything to do with Ruby's singing and her audition at Berklee felt false. The above poster compared it to an Afterschool Special; it reminded me of a Billy Elliott knockoff, with a singer instead of a ballet dancer and fishermen instead of coal miners. I seriously doubted one could get into a prestigious music school with a pleasant but unremarkable rendition of "Both Sides Now."