Road to Oscars: CODA
Added 2022-03-23 15:59:50 +0000 UTCI was complaining just last week that no one seems to be making feel-good family movies anymore. And then I watched CODA. The main criticism waged against Sian Heder’s coming of age film is that it’s “predictable” and “by the numbers” - but something I’ve begun to appreciate as the years go on is when a film hits all the cliches known to storytelling, but washes them with a new light. The bones of CODA may be something we’ve seen before, but its freshness can be found in the details. Ruby, played immaculately by Emilia Jones, is a beautifully flushed out protagonist. In a typical coming of age story, our protagonist can often feel like a blank slate. But Ruby is headstrong, mouthy, and determined - yet deeply affectionate and kind. Her family is also wonderfully nuanced - a simultaneously carefree and timid mom, gruff yet tender dad, and playful but caring brother, all living at harmony with their disabilities. It’s not the disability that is the obstacle in this film, but a world around these characters that does not accommodate them. It’s this inaccessibility that leads to feelings of alienation, insularity, and, in Ruby’s case, the stress of growing up too quickly. Before I spoil too much, I urge you to go watch CODA! I am delighted that, in a canon which honours the "cold intellectuality" of prestige dramas, such a light, warm, and small-scale film is being recognized. How lovely!
