Why CODA: Child of Deaf Parents Deserved an Oscar

On the night of March 27-28, 2022, another Oscar ceremony took place. This time, the premium turned out to be as calm and predictable as possible. "Dune" expectedly collected technical nominations, having received as many as six statuettes. Drive My Car won in the Best International Film category. Jane Campion took the award for directing "Power of the Dog." And Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" didn't get anything - the author now has 11 Oscar nominations and zero wins.

The only picture at the award, which can and even needs to be talked about, is CODA: Child of Deaf Parents. The work was nominated in three categories and took all the awards. Including "Best Film".

This is interesting for several reasons. Despite typical Oscar-themed issues and a win at the Sundance Film Festival, CODA: Child of Deaf Parents seemed like a dark horse. The picture was directed by a little-known director Shang Hader. The film was released immediately on the Apple TV + streaming service, and it has long been known that "

Oscar”does not like pictures that have passed the rental. So, Netflix has been making its way into the main categories for years, and it is even ironic that in the end it was surpassed by a younger competitor.

And besides, this is a remake of the 2014 French film The Linen Family, which usually also repels academics. The last time such a picture was awarded in 2007 - but it was the famous "Renegades» from Martin Scorsese with a stellar cast.

Still, "CODA: Child of Deaf Parents" deservedly won. After all, Hader was able to make a very lively and touching film about difficult family relationships. About the life of a teenager who faces a difficult choice, and about how important the support of loved ones is. And at the same time, the plot avoids platitudes and moralizing.

The film shows a difficult life without tragedies.

Young Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) lives with her parents and brother in the small town of Gloucester. Their family, like many others, earns by fishing. That's just Rossi different from others. The thing is that Ruby is the only one hearing in this family (actors with hearing loss really played her relatives), so she must help her loved ones in work and contacts with others.

At the same time, the girl goes to school and signs up for classes in music. It soon turns out that she sings well, and the teacher wants to develop her talent. But Ruby has to choose between her own perspectives and the support of her family.

With such a plot, the picture could very easily turn into a traditional manipulation: the viewer is shown people with hearing impairments and explained that they have a harder life than those around them. But the beauty of "Child of Deaf Parents" is precisely that the authors do their best to avoid such an interpretation.

Rossi's life is not easy, but for the most part, they have the same problems as everyone else. For example, too greedy dealers who give a low price for fish. Moreover, the family, with all the difficulties, is shown here as completely happy. They appreciate and love each other and fight for their future with all their might.

This often leads to comical or even slightly embarrassing moments. But the charm of the characters is built on a slight clumsiness. The same Ruby is embarrassed not because her parents do not hear, but because they begin to explain obvious truths about condoms. Or when they themselves have sex in the next room.

“CODA: A Child of Deaf Parents” pleases just with the lack of stigmatization of unusual people. It really is more difficult for them in a world that plays by different rules. But this is not a reason to feel unhappy and not their requests for indulgence. Just a different outlook on life.

"CODA: Child of Deaf Parents" talks about the problems of an unusual teenager

Interestingly, the picture can be divided into two storylines, although they are intertwined with each other. In addition to the mentioned story about all the Rossi, Ruby's life is also separately revealed. Here one can partly complain that her everyday life outside the home is sometimes too reminiscent of the traditional teen movies about finding herself: a shy girl discovers her talents in the choir and tries to find her way.

But these platitudes are compensated by an interesting subtext. Ruby's main problem is that she feels like a stranger not only at school, but also at home. Peers make fun of her because of her work, because the girl sometimes smells like fish. And relatives physically cannot share her passion for music. And at some point, “CODA: Child of Deaf Parents” seems to turn the ideas of films about unusual teenagers upside down.

It would be very easy to make a film about a deaf child who cannot find contact with his family. But it turns out that Ruby is separated from her relatives just by her normality, the absence of physical features. It comes to the point that brother at some point he says: “Everything was fine until you showed up.” The heroine too often feels like a mere function, a necessary intermediary for her family members in their work. Although in reality, parents simply cannot always express their love.

But the ending is the best. We can not say that he is too prominent, but again, the creators have avoided traditional manipulation. In such stories, they love to show how the hero realizes that the family is the main thing. “A child of deaf parents”, on the contrary, reminds that each person has his own way and the banal “if you love, let go” is very relevant, at least in relation to grown-up children.

Plotwise, CODA: Child of Deaf Parents is perhaps even too much of an Oscar-winning drama. Here there is a complex life of unusual people, and unobtrusive morality. But still, the tape neatly bypasses almost all the banal tricks, remaining sincere and touching. And she really deserved all three awards.

Troy Kotzur, who played Ruby's father, is remembered the most in the film, and it was he who went to the award as the best supporting actor. Shan Hader perfectly reworked the plot to American realities, and the tape honestly won the award for the best adapted screenplay. And warmth and uncontrived emotions allow you to call CODA the best film. After all, it is simply very pleasant to look at.