CODA – A Heartwarming Marginalized Coming-Of-Age Tale

With CODA, Apple TV Plus adds another strong and narrative-driven entry to its catalog furthering the argument that it is consistently offers some of the strongest content available on a streaming platform. Its compelling and heartwarming story stands out among others as it relies on coming-of-age tropes, but never uses them as the crux for the narrative. Instead, it allows them to support a much deeper journey of finding one’s passion and pursuing it into the unknown.

CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) follows Ruby Rossi (Jones), a high school senior and the only hearing member of her deaf family. As she juggles her responsibilities of helping her father and brother on their fishing boat, she is pressed by her choir teacher to explore pushing for more opportunities with her vocal talent beyond her small town. Through this, she is forced to decide between a possible future with singing or remaining with her family to support their lifestyles which are sheltered from the hearing community.

Where CODA excels is through its character development and a pitch-perfect mixture of heart and humor. Ruby is presented as a layered teen who’s had to grow up too quickly in order to provide a bridge for her parents as she also experiences all of the typical moments of a high schooler through bullies, love interests, and evolving friendships. Her parents, Frank and Jackie, are lovely, awkward, and filled with fear surrounding their daughter leaving as the only connection with the outside world. While first appearing selfish, their stance is grounded in love and a strong sense of family which is endearing but equally frustrating as Ruby attempts to pull away.

But the heart of the performances are ultimately driven by the incredibly selected cast. Jones shines as Ruby but the true joy of the film was the rest of her family who were all spectacular, from Kotsur as Ruby’s father Frank, Matlin as Ruby’s mother Jackie, and Durant as Ruby’s brother Leo. Over the course of the film, their signing was utilized in such a way where each word is felt and every conversation holds an emotional impact. Meanwhile, one of the best characters outside the Rossi family was Ruby’s choir teacher Bernardo Villalobos played by Eugenio Derbez who is absolutely wonderful, offering light-heartedness and humor through his interactions with Ruby and others.

CODA marks one of the most endearing and emotionally touching films of 2021 and through its strong performances, beautiful story, and caring message that is sure to stay with viewers well beyond the end credits. Throughout her journey, Ruby’s pursuit of passion is encased in love and community offering something truly remarkable and deeper than what might appear on a surface level.

In the end, despite some of its predictive milestones, CODA presents a tale that is likely to engage viewers from the very beginning and asks them to become invested in these characters’ stories before shining a light on a marginalized community that is striving to be heard in more ways than one.

still courtesy of Apple

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