On the Richter scale of movie publicity, with No Time To Die, Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman the equivalent of major earthquakes, the comic drama CODA barely registered a tremor last year.
The film with the strange capitalised title that stands for “child of deaf adults” landed without fuss or fanfare on Apple TV’s streaming service last year. It centres on shy high school student Ruby, the only hearing member of her family, who wants to quit working on a fishing boat and translating for her parents so that she can sing.
Emilia Jones in CODA, who should have been up for best actress at the Oscars.Credit:Apple TV
It is a conventional film in many ways: a coming-of-age story about breaking free from a restrictive blue-collar family with the help of an inspiring teacher.
When the nominees for best picture at the Oscars were announced early last month, the title would not have registered for most movie fans.
As recently as a month ago, CODA was considered to be making up the numbers with the three-hour Japanese drama Drive My Car, which is brilliant but also a three-hour Japanese drama, and the so-so thriller Nightmare Alley.
It was well behind Jane Campion’s western The Power of the Dog, the long-time favourite to win best picture, and considered less likely to win than Belfast, West Side Story, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza and Don’t Look Up.
And that was fair enough. Who had ever heard of CODA’s writer-director Sian Heder? And while older movie fans might remember Marlee Matlin winning an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and for a memorable role in Seinfeld (1993), CODA’s other stars, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, were virtually unknown.
But as the Hollywood awards season has rolled on, the warm-hearted remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier has emerged as a surprising contender at the Oscars.
It has won the top prize at three of Hollywood’s guild awards – celebrating the work of actors, writers and producers – with the director’s prize going to The Power of the Dog.
While the western is still favourite, past Oscar results suggests the win at the producers awards last weekend means CODA is now a strong chance of joining The Departed as a rare American adaptation of a foreign-language film to win best picture.
After his funny speech at the BAFTAs, where he wondered whether the producers had ever considered a deaf James Bond, Kotsur has a good shot at winning best supporting actor ahead of the stunning performance by Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog.
CODA’s actors accept the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture – signing “I love you” – at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.Credit:AP
While Campion is still heavily favoured to win best director, Heder could easily edge her out for best adapted screenplay.
So for anyone who has yet to watch CODA, does it deserve all the attention?
The answer in American Sign Language would be a fist bobbing like a head nodding, which means yes.
It is a genuine feel-good film with an emotional climactic scene that brought a tear to even this hardened viewer’s eye. The characters and relationships feel truthful and using real deaf actors – unlike the French original – adds to the authenticity.
Jones, the daughter of Welsh singer Aled Jones, should have been up for best actress for how well she played an uncertain but talented teenager who is fluent in sign language and crews a fishing boat.
While it did not even get a cinema release in this country, CODA started winning prizes when it premiered virtually at the COVID-affected Sundance Film Festival in January last year. In the competition for American dramatic films, it won the grand jury prize, audience award, special jury ensemble cast award and best director.
Apple TV then bought it for a festival record $US25 million ($33.2 million) – a stunning result for a film that reputedly cost $US10 million to make.
US President Joe Biden and first lady Dr Jill Biden loved it so much that they invited to the cast to the White House to discuss inclusion, access and employment for deaf Americans. And, as with just about every successful film, there are now plans for a stage musical.
Even if it wins nothing at the Oscars – with either The Power of the Dog or possibly even Belfast claiming best picture – CODA has become the feel-good story of the awards season.
The 94th Academy Awards are Monday, screening on Seven and 7plus live from 11am and replayed at 9.40pm. Follow our live blog of the red carpet and ceremony from 9am.
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2022-03-25 18:00:00Z
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