When she goes for a spot in the school choir – led by the passionately eccentric Bernardo “Mr. Her family doesn’t know about all this – obviously, they can’t hear her, but they’re also frantically trying to stay out of debt while every day seems to bring more financial hardships (less money for the fish they catch and stricter government fishing laws hamstringing their process). She’s also established as a wonderful singer, possessing the spirit and tones of more polished, studied vocalists. High school senior Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) has too much on her plate – being an important member of their fishing business (she’s the only one who can hear the boat’s radio and talk with other workers), putting up with the “that girl” mantle at her high school because her family’s different, and deciding what to do with her future. It is this warmth that powers CODA, focusing on a family of four with only one hearing child among them (around 40% of the film’s dialogue is delivered in American Sign Language). Heder layers her screenplay with genuine feeling and soul, giving rise to a loving affinity between the actors which carries over to their performances and enabling CODA to stand tall among the crowded teen film pack with gusto and warmth. But the unflinching heart that writer/director Siân Heder gives to CODA – an acronym for “Child Of Deaf Adults” – makes this unique film rise over every clichéd trapping within.
Superficially, CODA is the same kind of “be who you are” coming-of-age story where a kid from the wrong side of the tracks (really, is there a “wrong side of the tracks” these days?) finds a talent that makes them shine, lifting them out of the hell that is high school and bucking their family’s expectations.
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