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One Good Thing: A family drama that takes the deaf audience seriously

CODA is a big-hearted crowdpleaser about a teen, her dreams, and her family.

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A girl looks out a car window and signs “I love you” in ASL.

There’s a particular flavor of family coming-of-age movie that I associate with the 1990s — movies like Beethoven or Free Willy or Mrs. Doubtfire . Some are screwball comedies, others far more sober, and they’re always sentimental, but in a good way. Ordinary people learn important lessons about love, belonging, and maturity, and maybe we do too.

CODA isn’t about kids — its teenaged protagonist is about to finish high school — but it gave me the same cozy feeling when it premiered at the (virtual) Sundance Film Festival in January. I wasn’t alone. Though we were on our couches instead of crowded into theaters in Utah, you could still feel the buzz, mostly on Twitter. (And it literally paid off, when Apple bought the film for a record $25 million ; CODA is being released in theaters and on Apple TV+ simultaneously.)

There’s always some hype involved with big Sundance films, but the audience’s response made plenty of sense in this case. CODA follows a coming-of-age formula that feels familiar, and like the movies I remember from my youth, it’s a little corny at times. But it’s also fresh and innovative in important ways — and it absolutely won my heart.

“Coda” is a musical term , referring to the last bit of music before the end of a piece — the finale, the conclusion. But it’s also an acronym for child of deaf adult , which Ruby Rossi (the excellent Emilia Jones) is. Ruby is the only hearing member of her family, which is also comprised of her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) and parents Frank (Troy Kotsur) and Jackie (Marlee Matlin, who is also the only deaf performer to have won an Oscar). Ruby has spent her life as her family’s de facto translator. The Rossis live in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and own a small fishing business, though they’re increasingly struggling to get by.

Ruby is finishing high school and loves to sing; her music teacher (Eugenio Derbez) encourages her to consider studying music in college, but she’s not even sure that college is a possibility. Her family hasn’t always felt welcome in the wider community, and they need her. There’s also a boy in the picture.

Four people in a crowd of people clap and smile for something that is happening on stage.

Ruby’s struggle to balance her own ambitions with her family forms the backbone of the movie, but each of the Rossis is on their own journey, imagining what the future might be like for them once this chapter of life is over. (That’s where the double meaning of “coda” comes in.) It’s a very funny film, heartfelt and heartwarming, full of music and love.

CODA is the rare movie that not only features mostly deaf characters in the lead roles, but also cast deaf actors — Durant, Kotsur, and Matlin are all deaf. In a post-screening Q&A for Sundance, writer and director Sian Heder (who is hearing) described working to learn American Sign Language while writing the screenplay and using it on set. That’s highly unusual in an industry where most deaf roles still go to hearing actors , despite plenty of deaf actors struggling to find work. The trend has been shifting, albeit at a glacial pace; Millicent Simmonds, who stars in the Quiet Place movies, is deaf, for instance.

Some deaf critics have raised important issues with the film on a story level — there’s still a long way to go in crafting films that don’t inadvertently pass along messages that can be harmful.

Yet it remains true that CODA is unusual, particularly among audience-friendly films, in that it works to level the experiences of both the hearing and deaf characters through its filmmaking. In a number of scenes, the sound drops out, letting the audience experience what’s happening the same way the Rossi family does. Coupled with abundant use of sign language throughout the film, it feels like a movement forward.

And in a groundbreaking step, all theatrical screenings of CODA will use “ open captions ,” which means the subtitles will be on the screen itself rather than requiring special glasses to see them, which can be defective or hard on the eyes. Some films (including last year’s Oscar-nominated Sound of Metal ) have done select open caption screenings, but CODA is the first to do it for all screenings.

That all of this is happening in such a friendly, fun, and occasionally tear-jerking film — one that revolves around a teenager’s musical aspirations, no less — feels like a balm. CODA is the definition of an easy-to-watch movie, comfort food for weary souls. But the old and maybe even hackneyed tropes are invigorated by the movie’s originality, and the result is joyful, sweet, and well worth watching.

CODA is playing in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+.

For more recommendations from the world of culture, check out the One Good Thing archives.

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‘CODA’ Is a Warm, Hilariously Funny Crowd-Pleaser About Deaf Culture

'coda' hardly aims to surprise you with its plot, but its unique delights lie in the way it captures its characters..

At first glance, a coming-of-age story about the musical dreams of a Child of Deaf Adults (or a CODA) seems like it might background its disabled characters — much like the film on which it was based, the 2014 French comedy La Famille Bélier , which drew criticism for casting hearing actors in key deaf roles. However, writer-director Sian Heder makes vast improvements over the original, thanks in no small part to her deaf collaborators, Alexandria Wailes and Anne Tomasetti, and a deaf supporting cast. While CODA certainly explores deafness and Deaf culture from a hearing point of view — responses from the Deaf community have varied from positive to critical — the film relies neither on pity nor patronizing inspiration-porn for its most moving moments. As much as the film is about a culture clash along the lines of disability, it’s just as much a story of a fishing family and the hurdles they face as members of Massachusetts’ working class. Each performance breathes life and nuance into what could easily have been a misfire. Instead, the result is tremendously sweet, uproariously funny and one of the best crowd-pleasers this year.

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English actress Emilia Jones plays Ruby Rossi, a hearing girl who’s reserved around her high school classmates, but who sings loudly and signs boisterously around her goofy, easygoing father, Frank (Troy Kostur), and her sarcastic, headstrong brother, Leo ( Daniel Durant ) on their rickety fishing vessel. She’s just as expressive at home, though a tad less open about her love for music with her overbearing mother Jackiee ( Marlee Matlin , the first and thus far only deaf performer to win an Academy Award), who helps with the sales side of the family business, and whose aversion to hearing culture and people stems from insecurities the film goes on to tenderly explore.

Ruby, in addition to working on the family’s boat, is also their interpreter (and by proxy, their negotiator at the pier), a necessity in a small town that makes little effort to accommodate them. The Rossis have a comfortable working rhythm, though this is slowly thrown off course when Ruby finds herself spread thin between her early-morning trawling and her new passion for the school choir. She’s an exceptional singer — her strict teacher, Bernardo Villalobos ( Eugenio Derbez ) thinks she has what it takes to audition for Berklee — but her family commitments could very well complicate that journey.

CODA hardly aims to surprise you with its plot — it is, after all, a remake of a fairly bland and straightforward film — but its unique delights lie in the way it captures its characters, both individually and in groups. Ruby, though she has no trouble exchanging barbs and petty insults with Leo, hides beneath layers of baggy clothes and a fringe cut at school. Where the original film treated music solely as a clash with deafness (and in the process, treated its deaf characters as a monolith), CODA frames it more as a clash with Ruby’s responsibilities, and with her desire to stay out of sight, which in turn stems from the nasty words hurled at her family, to which only she is privy.

Her family members all have varying opinions on her talents too, which are tied intrinsically to their individual lives outside of her. Leo is immediately and unequivocally supportive of her dreams, in part because of his brotherly duty, though he also hopes to prove himself, without her help, to a world that looks down at him. For Leo, Ruby going off to college would be a win-win, even if he hasn’t quite thought things through. The brother role in La Famille Bélier , while the only major part played by a deaf actor, was barely a blip, but CODA allows Daniel Durant plenty of time to simmer as a withheld-but-caring twenty something from the American Northeast, with all the hyper-masculine baggage that entails. His portrayal is always enticing, even when he keeps to himself.

As Jackiee, Marlee Matlin turns in an incredibly fun performance that conceals layers of maternal anxieties. Jackie is upbeat and personable when she signs, but her defensiveness, when dealing with the prospect of Ruby going to college, often comes off as terse. When she finally begins to confront what’s bothering her, this usually takes the form of glances during isolated moments, wherein Matlin allows Jackiee’s smile to drop, and allows her self-doubt to float to the surface, before she covers it up again. Exploring traditional gender roles as they intersect with disability is by no means an explicit focus (see also: Leo’s constant need to prove himself) but a few of Jackiee’s lines hint at her use of dresses and makeup as means to cope, or blend in, with a world in which she doesn’t feel at ease. Ruby, by contrast, carries herself with a certain (tom)boyishness, and though she’s into a boy at school — her duet partner, Miles ( Ferdia Walsh-Peelo ) — she bristles against the feminine norms her mother indulges in and nudges her towards. The film is keenly aware of the relationship between people and their bodies, and it doesn’t limit this focus to their deafness or hearing.

While Leo and Jackie stand on opposite sides of the “Should Ruby go to college?” question, Frank ends up caught somewhere in the middle. Not because he’s undecided, but because his practical thinking leads to different answers depending on the situation — which changes frequently, as he and his fellow fishermen are placed under increasing financial stress by local management (the film has a wonderfully rebellious subplot about cooperative organizing, in the face of an uncaring capitalist system that harms its workers, and harms disabled workers even more). Unlike his wife and children, Frank has grown comfortable being isolated from the rest of the town, perhaps reluctantly, but this by no means prevents him from having fun when it’s just the four of them, or from trying to embarrass Ruby for a laugh. One bit in particular, involving how he treats a boy she brings over, is downright side-splitting. Troy Kostur is a firecracker as Frank, delivering line after line of raunchy, hilarious banter with animated fervor, though he lets the character’s warmth peak out from beneath his zany antics.

When the Rossis are together, their dynamic can get wheeze-inducingly funny. For instance, when they decide to turn Leo’s Tinder-swiping into a family activity; unlike many mainstream depictions of disabled characters, the film has no qualms about putting their respective sex lives on full display. At the risk of beating a dead horse, CODA far outshines La Famille Bélier during group scenes in particular — partially because the joke isn’t on deafness, but on the quirks of human behaviour, and partially because the parent characters are actually played by deaf actors this time around, and they bring a sense of comfort and familiarity to every scene. In Bélier , the parents felt as if they’d only just begun navigating deafness in the last few days. Their existence as Deaf people in a hearing world, and their subsequent reliance on their hearing daughter, barely factored into the original story. CODA , by comparison, has much more tangible stakes and a sense of narrative urgency.

It also helps that CODA treats sign language — in this case, American Sign Language, which makes up half the dialogue — as an actual language (and as Ruby’s first language, which she returns to when she can’t express something in spoken words). Like any dialect, ASL has its own ebb and flow along with its own cultural hallmarks, rather than being a series of lurching, desperate gestures, as is sometimes the case when deaf characters are played by hearing performers who treat the language itself as a hurdle or disability.

This care for sign language is reflected in the filmmaking too. In modern cinema, the conventions of framing and editing have become incredibly sound-centric, especially during dialogue scenes. Who or what the camera focuses on, and which shots the editor cuts to (and when) are often determined by who’s speaking, or by what words are being spoken. A rote dialogue scene will divvy up its shot coverage line by line, though a more thoughtful one might hold on reactions to someone else’s words. ASL doesn’t have the luxury of being heard from off-screen, but rather than shooting dialogue mechanically and simply cutting between lines, Heder, cinematographer Paula Huidobro and editor Geraud Brisson often ensure that multiple speakers are visible in the frame, and that they’re blocked with their hands in view (or at least, their bodily responses). In the process, scenes of dinner table banter feel lively and animated, though a sharp contrast emerges when the family isn’t on speaking terms, as the screen falls eerily still.

Outside of these scenes, the film remains adept at capturing small-town isolation, and the way it becomes exacerbated when one is pushed into the margins. Where Bélier zipped forward from scene to scene, CODA pauses to consider. It holds on characters at their most vulnerable, either when someone else has just left the room or they themselves have recently exited a conversation, as if the camera were capturing fleeting afterthoughts. The film’s in-scene transitions are measured too; for instance, it uses the familiar trick of sound fading out to shift into a deaf POV only once (during an emotionally charged moment), but since the film is about deafness, it doesn’t rely on sound alone to convey this transition. Rather, it accompanies the shift with a skillfully timed rack focus; sound may be a major part of CODA , but the film is, thankfully, not as aesthetically distancing to deaf and hard of hearing viewers as some similar works have been (it also helps that every theatrical screening of the film will have captions by default ).

Cinema has a tendency to build Deaf/HoH narratives around music — recent hits like Creed , Baby Driver, Sound of Metal and A Star is Born come to mind, three of which capture hearing people’s fears of disability — though a wider variety of portrayals is slowly beginning to emerge. Mainstream genre films like Godzilla vs. Kong and A Quiet Place were lauded for their efforts to cast deaf actors in deaf roles. It’s a distinction shared by CODA , and one that ought to be the bare minimum for disability narratives, though it’s one that Marlee Matlin still had to fight for .

However, as much CODA is a film about a hearing person’s relationship to deafness and Deaf culture, it’s just as much about deaf characters’ relationships to a hearing world, whose norms most hearing people take for granted, and whose obstacles can impact everything from labor to self-worth.

CODA is no exception to the aforementioned musical focus, given both its plot and its frequent use of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “ You’re All I Need to Get By .” However, the film frames music not just as a sensory pleasure, but as an expression of need, a theme which radiates outward and takes shape even in its non-musical subplots. The song’s lyrics, as Ruby explains them, are about what it means to need other people, a complicated question that ripples through the fabric of CODA and impacts every single character, whether those needs are logistical, physical or emotional, or some combination of the three. It’s a wholesome film — holistically so.

Observer Reviews are regular assessments of new and noteworthy cinema.

CODA is available to stream on Apple TV+.

‘CODA’ Is a Warm, Hilariously Funny Crowd-Pleaser About Deaf Culture

SEE ALSO : ‘Under the Bridge’ Review: A Miniseries That Interrogates the True Crime Genre

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At first glance, you might think that writer/director Sian Heder ’s “CODA” is all about predictable beats you’ve seen countless times before. After all, it tells a pleasantly familiar coming-of-age tale, following a talented small-town girl from modest means with dreams to study music in the big city. There's an idealistic teacher, a winsome crush, moving rehearsal montages, a high-stakes audition, and naturally, a family reluctant about their offspring’s ambitions. Again—and only at first glance—you might think you already know everything about this feel-good recipe.

Caring, boisterous, and adorned with the hugest of hearts, “CODA” will prove you wrong. It’s not that Heder doesn’t embrace the aforesaid conventions for all their comforting worth—she does. But by twisting the formula and placing this recognizable story inside a new, perhaps even groundbreaking setting with such loving, acutely observed specificity, she pulls off nothing short of a heartwarming miracle with her film, the title of which is an acronym: Child of Deaf Adult. Played by the exceptional Emilia Jones (who is blessed with Grade-A pipes), the gifted young girl in question here happens to be one, navigating the intricacies of her identity, passions, and familial expectations, trying to reconcile them without hurting anyone’s feelings, her own included.

Admittedly, “CODA” is adapted from the French film “La Famille Bélier,” so the idea of it isn’t entirely novel. What’s new here—and it makes all the difference in the world—is the cast. While the family in the well-meaning original were played by hearing cast members (with the exception of the brother brought to life by deaf actor Luca Gelberg), they are all portrayed by real-life deaf performers in Heder’s movie—a sensational group consisting of legendary Oscar winner Marlee Matlin , scene-stealing Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant —infusing her adaptation with a rare, inherent kind of authenticity.

Jones is the 17-year-old Ruby, a hardworking high-schooler in the coastal Cape Ann’s Gloucester who habitually wakes up at the crack of dawn every day to help her family—her father Frank (Kotsur) and brother Leo (Durant) and mother Jackie (Matlin)—at their boat and newly found fish sales business. Heder is quick to give us a realistic taste of Ruby’s routine. Accustomed to being her family’s sign-language-proficient interpreter out in the world as the only hearing member of the Rossi clan, she spends her days translating every scenario imaginable two ways: at town meetings, at the doctor’s office (one early instance of which plays for full-sized laughs thanks to Kotsur’s golden comedic chops) and at the boat where a hearing person must be present to notice the signals and coastal announcements.

What Ruby has feels so balanced and awe-inspiring that it takes a minute to recognize just how exhausting the whole arrangement is for the young girl, even though she makes it look easy with maturity and a sense of responsibility beyond her years. For starters, she is all too aware of everything private about her parents, often including their medical conditions and (to her riotous terror), sex life. When the hearing world becomes cruel or belittling, she steps in, almost with protective instincts, always prioritizing them over herself. But when Ruby joins the school choir and discovers her talent for singing, it throws off her balance and puts her at odds with her family, especially when she decides to apply to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, adopting a rehearsal schedule that often clashes with her duties in the family business. Complicating the matters further is a fellow singer and romantic interest named Miles ( Ferdia Walsh-Peelo from “ Sing Street ”), a shy kid with a genuine admiration for Ruby.

If there's one misstep here, it’s how far Heder leans into the inspiring teacher trope with Eugenio Derbez ’s Bernardo Villalobos, a character that somehow transmits a sitcom-y artificiality in an otherwise earnest movie. Derbez does what he can with a collection of cookie-cutter dialogue lines, but his scenes don’t always land with the same honesty we see elsewhere in “CODA.” Still, this lapse in judgment feels minor in a movie so affecting, so in touch with its old-fashioned crowd-pleaser character. (Had it actually played in a physical version of the Sundance 2021 instead of its virtual edition, this would have been the standing ovation story of the festival.) And plenty of other types of sincerity throughout “CODA” make up for it, from the way Heder portrays Cape Ann and the life around it through lived-in details, to how she honors the joys and anxieties of a working class family with candor and humor, without ever making them or their Deafness the butt of the joke.

Most of all, she makes us see and believe in our bones that the Rossis are a real family with real chemistry, with real bonds and trials of their own, both unique and universal just like any other family. What Ruby’s chosen path unearths is the distinctiveness of those everyday battles. Would her sound-driven talent put a distance between Ruby and the rest of the Rossis? What would the world look like for the quartet if Ruby chose to leave? Through a number of deeply generous (and to this critic, tear-jerking) scenes—but especially a pair that play like each other’s mirror images—Heder spells out the answers openhandedly. During one, all sound vanishes while Ruby sings in front of her nearest and dearest, making us perceive her act from the point of view of the non-hearing. During the other, featuring a well-chosen track that might just melt even the frostiest of hearts, sound doesn’t matter at all. Because Heder ensures that we see the boundless love that’s there, in their shared language.

On Apple TV+ today.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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CODA (2021)

Rated PG-13 for strong sexual content and language, and drug use.

112 minutes

Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi

Eugenio Derbez as Bernardo Villalobos

Troy Kotsur as Frank Rossi

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Miles

Daniel Durant as Leo Rossi

Marlee Matlin as Jackie Rossi

Amy Forsyth as Gertie

Cinematographer

Paula Huidobro
Geraud Brisson
Marius De Vries

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‘CODA’ Review: A Voice of Her Own

An openhearted embrace of deaf culture elevates this otherwise conventional tale of a talented teenager caught between ambition and loyalty.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

The template of “CODA” — the title is also a term used to describe the hearing children of deaf adults — might be wearyingly familiar, but this warmhearted drama from Sian Heder opens up space for concerns that feel fresh.

Ruby (Emilia Jones, delightful), a shy 17-year-old in Gloucester, Mass., is the lone hearing member of her rambunctious family. Between interpreting for her parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur), and helping run the family’s fishing boat with her father and older brother (Daniel Durant) each morning before school, Ruby is exhausted. Since childhood, she has been her family’s bridge to the hearing world; now, her newly awakened desire to sing is perhaps the one thing they will struggle most to understand.

Weighed down by a groaningly predictable plot — which includes a cute-boy crush, a colorful music teacher (Eugenio Derbez) and a climactic singing audition — “CODA” relishes the opportunity to showcase the expressiveness of sign language. (The film is extensively subtitled.) The actors work together seamlessly, the blue-collar coastal setting is richly realized and the family’s cohesiveness solidly established. And if some interactions move to the clichéd beats of a sitcom, Ruby’s efforts to share her musical talent (notably in one lovely scene with her father) are remarkably affecting.

More than once, Heder effectively flips the film’s viewpoint to that of her deaf characters (who are all played by deaf actors). At a school concert, the camera watches Ruby’s family in the audience as the soundtrack abruptly cuts out, allowing us to glimpse the sometimes blanketing isolation of a silent world. In moments like this, when the quippy dialogue subsides and the story relaxes, we see the ghost of a more fruitful movie, one that would rather surprise its viewers than feed them a formula they have come to expect.

CODA Rated PG-13 for unrestrained flatulence and a bawdy mime. In English and American Sign Language with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes. Watch on Apple + .

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Emilia Jones stands on a stage in a salmon sweater, arms crossed across her chest, smiling

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The playful, fearless CODA asks tough questions about Deaf family life

Orange is the New Black’s Siân Heder lays out a family drama with humor and heart

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[ Ed. note: This review was first published in conjunction with CODA ’s release at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival . It has been updated for the film’s theatrical release.]

Logline: As her senior year comes to an end, Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing person in her Deaf family, is torn between studying music at college and remaining at home to help — and maybe save — the family fishing business.

Longerline: As a CODA, a Child of Deaf Adults, Ruby juggles multiple roles at the young age of 18. She’s a daughter, a student, a musician, a fisherman, and a translator. In the mornings, she lends her father, Frank (Troy Kotsur), and brother, Leo (Daniel Durant), an ear and an extra pair of hands as they trawl for fish off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts. She’s an animated, no-bullshit character while gabbing around the dinner table with her mom, Jackie (Marlee Matlin), or negotiating a fish sale, but at school, she can’t find her voice. After catching the eye of the firebrand music teacher (Eugenio Derbez) during a show-choir audition, Ruby suddenly sees a path for her future: vocal training, the Berklee College of Music, and a life beyond her family. It’s reasonably terrifying.

In this microcosmic moment, everything Ruby knows begins to change. A crackdown on fishing boats puts her father and brother’s deafness under systematic scrutiny and threatens the local fishing industry at large. Her musical pursuits raise the question of what her family will do without her; everyone is perfectly functional in navigating society without vocal speech, but juuuust dependent enough on Ruby as a business liaison that no one can imagine her leaving home. The growing intensity of her Berklee audition rehearsals and a blossoming relationship with her fellow choirmate, Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peele), pressurize the already intensely intimate scenario.

What’s CODA trying to do? Writer-director Siân Heder ( Orange Is the New Black ) previously made the 2016 Netflix premiere Tallulah , which followed a homeless teenager who inadvertently kidnaps a baby that she believes needs rescuing from an irresponsible mother. In CODA , she again slices off a piece of life and pops it in a pressure cooker. Replacing the ticking clock with a warmer tone, the family drama aims to both portray the challenges of growing up culturally Deaf, and look beyond disabilities to recognize that life’s hardships, whether in a world full of sound or not, are universal.

The quote that says it all: “I can’t always be that person.”

Emilia Jones leans out of a car to sign at the camera in CODA

Does it get there? Authentic, sensitive, and playful, CODA remains human even as it tugs at the heartstrings. Heder leaves no anthropological distance between her camera and the subjects, ensuring that the movie never “others” the Deaf characters, while still making sense of how much we rely on hearing for simple tasks. On the same note, there’s a fearlessness to prolonged dialogue scenes playing out in ASL. As they talk through their issues, Frank, Jackie, Leo, and Ruby swing from low to high emotions, and the physicality of the performances are absorbing. The UK-born Jones apparently learned to sign, sing, and put on an American accent for the role, and you’d never know it — she holds the movie together in an astonishing breakout performance.

Circumstance puts extra, often funny-in-retrospect hurdles in front of Ruby and her family. When her dad comes down with a jock itch, his teenage daughter melts in a puddle of awkward as she gestures to convey an inflamed genital rash to the doctor, then translates a prescriptive recommendation of abstinence to her mother. On the docks, Ruby and Leo butt heads over the price of their latest fish haul — she knows from what she can hear that he’s getting scammed, but her older sibling is way too proud to let her play hero.

And during a flirtatious rehearsal for their upcoming duet, Ruby and Miles wind up overhearing Jackie and Frank’s… lively… bedroom activity. These are the trials and tribulations of teen life, plus a twist of fate. (And if there’s one bit that doesn’t quite work, it’s Derbez’s over-the-top music teacher, whose sitcomy tone doesn’t quite match the lived-in feeling of the family comedy.)

Heder finds her way into tension and tougher questions. The family’s fear of the unknown is compounded by the possibilities on the horizon: Ruby has a fabulous voice, a skill her parents will never be able to comprehend as a viable future for their daughter. The anxiety arrives just as Frank’s own career path is thrown out of whack; he’s been fishing all of his life, but the extortion of fisherman by dock bigwigs turns his life into a mini Elia Kazan drama. It isn’t as grim as On the Waterfront , but Frank, Leo, Jackie, and eventually Ruby all wind up in a fight to take hold of their business and livelihoods.

There’s a lot on the line, and Heder strings it all together in a mainstream package that recalls everything from Ordinary People to Save the Last Dance and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before . And while the drama is immediate and timely like those films, it also feels like it has a past and present. This is to say: Yes, I would watch five seasons of the Parenthood version of CODA .

Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin applauding in an auditorium in CODA

What does that get us? The movie camera is uniquely equipped to get in close and capture a sign-language spat, and the results in the hands of veterans like Kotsur and Matlin are spellbinding. Writers rarely gift two Deaf actors with the chance to go at it. Heder gives them painful moments behind closed doors, tender scenes with Ruby, and bits where they’re just goofy parents. Durant, best known for playing a Deaf character in a reimagined revival of Spring Awakening , is also fully alive and dimensional as Leo, a tough-but-sweet young man who’s looking for his own career path.

CODA offers a simple explanation for the importance of representation on screen: a century of movies born from homogenous perspectives has left so many stories untold, and so many experiences uncharted. There’s a simple thrill in seeing familiar dramas play out in the hands of actors who’ve often been relegated to side roles. Matlin is a hysterical, vibrant movie star-type who always plays “the Deaf character,” but here, she’s the mother, the wife, and the entrepreneur. She has so much to give the screen, and Heder taps it all.

The film may be a little sweet for some tastes (yes, I cried) but CODA is also refined. In a dark moment, I was thankful for the film’s celebration of family, friends, and life.

The most meme-able moment: Get ready for an extended sequence where Ruby’s new guy-pal Miles learns the ASL translation of “masturbating into a condom.”

When can we see it? CODA launches for streaming on Apple TV Plus on August 13.

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Oscar wins for ‘CODA’ bring tears, elation to Deaf community

FILE - Eugenio Derbez, from left, Sian Heder, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Emilia Jones, Daniel Durant and Amy Forsyth, winners of the award for best picture for “CODA,” pose in the press room while signing “I love you” at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The three Oscar wins for the film “CODA” has provided an unprecedented feeling of affirmation to people in the Deaf community. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

In this 1964 image provided by Laurie Barish, she poses with her mom, Carolann D’Onofrio, center, who is deaf, and brother Robert Barish, right, in New York. Laurie Barish said the movie CODA, which won the Oscar for Best Picture on March 27, 2022, is a sign of greater acceptance of the Deaf community. (Courtesy of Laurie Barish via AP)

In this 1991 image provided by Matt Zatko, he poses with his parents Robert and Susanne Zatko in Jennerstown, Pa. Matt Zatko remembers spending a lot of time as a kid helping his dad, who was deaf and worked as a painter and wallpaper hanger. He said “CODA” offers a window into how much parents who are deaf can depend on their children if they have hearing. (Courtesy of Matt Zatko via AP)

FILE - Troy Kotsur, winner of the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for “CODA,” poses in the press room at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The three Oscar wins for the film “CODA” has provided an unprecedented feeling of affirmation to people in the Deaf community. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - The audience signs the word “applause” as the cast and crew of “CODA” accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The three Oscar wins for the film “CODA” has provided an unprecedented feeling of affirmation to people in the Deaf community. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

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When “CODA” won the Oscar for best picture in Los Angeles, movie stars from Samuel L. Jackson to Nicole Kidman waved their hands instead of clapping — recognition of a culture and community that proudly calls itself Deaf. At home in suburban New York, Laurie Ann Barish cried, overcome by what she said was a long overdue feeling of acceptance.

Like the film’s acronymic title, Barish was raised by a deaf parent, her mother, now 85. She said she saw her own life in the story about a Massachusetts family “that wants to be heard” and to be seen as no different from anyone else.

“The deaf world is finally unmuted,” said Barish, a 61-year-old personal assistant who lives in Long Beach, New York. “I wish this happened when I was younger, for my mom. It was a wonderful gift. It was for the world to see that we’re all the same. We’re all the same.”

“CODA” is a tender, coming-of-age tale about the only hearing member in a deaf family that became a crowd-pleaser and earned widespread critical acclaim to become the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. It stars a trio of actors who are deaf, while offering an authentic depiction of Deaf life. For many in that community, the Oscar win provides an unprecedented feeling of affirmation, while offering a measure of Hollywood’s recent progress.

“CODA” was the first film that “allowed Deaf people to be normal, hard-working individuals trying to raise a family, and navigate the world,” said William Millios, who is deaf and works in freelance videography and web development in Montpelier, Vermont.

“It showed their very real frustrations, without making them into pitiable objects that needed to be saved,” the 56-year-old added.

The film won two other Oscars. Troy Kotsur won best supporting actor to become the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar, and only the second deaf actor to do so, joining his “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin. The film also won for best adapted screenplay.

Howard A. Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, said the Oscars show that “excellence lies in taking on a different persona to convincingly and powerfully convey a story rather than acting disabled.”

“For too long, the industry has rewarded actors and directors who have exploited the trope of faking sympathetic disabilities to win awards for themselves without bringing in Deaf people or people with disabilities to ensure authenticity,” Rosenblum said.

Three of the movie’s actors, including Kotsur, have ties to Gallaudet University, which serves students who are deaf and hard of hearing. There was a palpable sense of elation at its campus in Washington on Monday, said Robert B. Weinstock, the university’s spokesman.

Weinstock said it finally feels like people in the Deaf community are being recognized by the film industry. And he hopes there will be more employment opportunities in the performing arts and elsewhere.

“One thing that we do not have yet is a strength in numbers,” he said of Hollywood. “Not that many deaf people are involved in the industry at this time. There are not that many deaf roles in front of and behind the camera. ... So hopefully that will change.”

In the meantime, people who grew up in the Deaf community say the movie offers a window into the intricacies of their lives, which are unknown to many in the hearing world. For instance, the film shows how much the parents who are deaf can depend on children who can hear.

Matt Zatko, 49, an attorney who lives in western Pennsylvania, remembers spending a lot of time as a kid helping his dad, who was deaf and worked as a painter and a wallpaper hanger.

“I remember answering the phone from people who wanted him to do jobs and me talking with them and signing to my dad at the same time,” Zatko said. “It was our lives. It’s what we did. But to see someone make a movie of it ... I laughed. I cried.”

The movie also showed the challenges that parents who are deaf face when visiting their kids at school, said Tony VonDolteren, who is Zatko’s cousin, and grew up with deaf parents.

VonDolteren, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, remembers his dad cheering for him at a baseball game.

“It was louder than most and off tone,” said VonDolteren, 46, now the national youth director for Perfect Game, a scouting service for youth travel baseball. “It would startle you. And people are like, ‘Man, what’s wrong with that guy,’ until they find out my dad’s deaf.”

John D’Onofrio, 80, who is deaf and lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, said he’s in awe of the Oscar win for “CODA” and is grateful that more people are learning what life is like for people in the Deaf community. His stepdaughter is Barish, the personal assistant who lives in New York.

D’Onofrio said he wanted to be an architect as well as a carpenter when he grew up but was told he couldn’t do either. Instead, he worked for 35 years as a printer in a newspaper press room, a noisy place where many people who are deaf had earned a living.

“It’s such a big win,” he said of the film’s Oscars. “For the Deaf community. For deaf people. For everyone.”

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‘CODA’ Review: Deaf Family Saga Makes the Coming-of-Age Drama Feel New Again

Kate erbland, editorial director.

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Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Apple will release the film in theaters and on its streaming platform on Friday, August 12.

There’s little surprising about the shape of director Sian Heder ‘s latest feature: It’s a family drama and a coming-of-age tale that combines familiar beats about finding yourself, breaking free of your family, and making plenty of mistakes along the way into one tear-jerking package. Yet what “ CODA ” lacks in storytelling originality, it more than makes up for with other touches of ingenuity. Chief among them is that it’s a film that focuses on a deaf family and treats their woes as being just as worthy — and relatable — as innumerable other stories that, at least, initially feel just like it.

As Heder’s film evolves and leans further into the patterns of the genre, that seeming familiarity becomes one of its greatest assets. You may think you know this story, and you probably do. But you’ve never quite seen it like this, with these characters, and with this care paid to an underrepresented portion of the population. In fitting so neatly inside expectations, Heder makes a sterling argument for more films like it — which is to say, movies that focus on under-served characters and performers (all of Heder’s deaf characters are played by deaf actors, the film is subtitled) that still contain massive appeal for everyone. It’s a crowd-pleaser that works its formula well, even as it breaks new ground.

Anchored by star-making turn from Emilia Jones as teenage malcontent Ruby Rossi, “CODA” takes its title from Ruby’s lot in life: as the child of deaf adults, her vibrant parents Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and Frank (Troy Kotsur). In fact, Ruby is the only hearing person in her household — her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) is also deaf — and she’s long served as the Rossis’ hearing proxy to the world. And while the Rossis have mostly avoided being a part of the wider world, their fortunes remain entirely tied up in it and, by extension, in Ruby.

The Rossis have been fishermen for decades, and every morning, Frank, Leo, and Ruby set out on their trawler to gather an early morning catch. Ruby, a senior in high school, doesn’t just get up at the crack of dawn to do a man-sized job before heading off to class, she’s also the one charged with bargaining for how much their haul will sell for. It’s a tough ask in a town dominated by conglomerates that institute “bullshit quotas” on their hardest-working denizens. After that, it’s off to high school, where Ruby and her family are the subjects of teasing and bullying, while Ruby’s entire social life consists of her brassy pal Gertie (Amy Forsyth) and a simmering crush on Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo).

Heder’s knack for lived-in authenticity — from her sets to costumes, locations to casting — helps some of the film’s earliest machinations go down a touch easier. Ruby, it seems, may have too much on her plate, but she’s also harboring a big secret: she’s a wonderful singer, and perhaps she can make something of that gift. That Ruby would be so possessed by a talent that her family literally cannot experience for themselves sounds like the making of an eye-rolling ham-fest, but Heder studiously avoids layering on cheesy twists. “CODA” feels real, even in those moments ripped from the coming-of-age playbook. That’s no small feat.

While Ruby and her family are always vivid — this is not only a star-making turn for Jones, it’s also a reminder of just how many layers Matlin contains — the film’s supporting characters must labor through a first act that draws them with painful broad strokes. Gertie is initially introduced as something of a boy-crazy flake, while Miles only opens his mouth to sing (talking? what’s that?) and Ruby’s would-be mentor Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) is presented simply as a scarf-flipping fast-talker who loves nothing more than to make his teenage charges sing inappropriate songs, like “Let’s Get It On.” Eventually, all of these characters will get their own dimensions, but early experiences with them are something to be plodded through.

Perhaps, however, that’s the point, as Heder hews closely to the expectations of the coming-of-age story, all the better to package it with the same gravitas as a film about a less interesting — and less often seen on the big screen — family and its evolutions. Ruby’s problems are deeply relatable, but the precise nature of them is unique, and if early pieces of plotting feel done-to-death (the sassy best friend, the flashy mentor, the crazy dream), it really only reminds that, well, they haven’t been. Not like this.

As Ruby struggles to balance her life, setting her sights on a major collegiate choice just as her family preps a business plan that hinges on her ability to be at their beck and call, “CODA” ramps up to some necessary blood-letting. The result is a powerful, probing exploration of familial bonds that isn’t narratively groundbreaking, but speaks to the special power at work in Heder’s film. It may look recognizable, but Heder and her formidable cast and compelling emotion make sure it doesn’t sound like anything else out there.

“CODA” premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section.

As new movies open in theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, IndieWire will continue to review them whenever possible. We encourage readers to follow the safety precautions provided by CDC and health authorities. Additionally, our coverage will provide alternative viewing options whenever they are available.

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'Deafness isn't a monolith': Deaf communities praise, criticize new Apple TV+ movie 'CODA'

Children defy their parents. Parents embarrass their children. They hug it out.

Audiences may roll their eyes at these coming-of-age movie cliches. But when a movie like " CODA " – now in theaters and on Apple TV+ – comes along, smiles easily spread across faces as deaf actors and characters finally get their chance in the spotlight.

"CODA" – which stands for "child of deaf adults" – is the story of 17-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones), the hearing child of deaf parents (Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur), who's caught between helping her family's fledgling fish business in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and pursuing her singing aspirations in college.

"CODA" marks a moment of unbridled joy for deaf communities – finally, yes, significant representation since 1986's "Children of a Lesser God" – though it doesn't come without its critics, who advocate for stronger authenticity in media representations of deaf and CODA culture.

As with any marginalized group, they are not monolithic.

"My hopes were so high, and I was so disappointed at the missteps and missed opportunities," says Jenna Beacom , a sensitivity reader and young adult author. "And so much is misrepresented, especially deaf people's competence and ability to thrive in 2021."

Delbert Whetter , chief operating officer and head of business affairs at Exodus Film Group, thought otherwise.

"After seeing so many stories where people with disabilities are depicted as helpless, forlorn souls needing to be rescued, it is so refreshing to see a story with deaf characters that are small business owners and leaders in their fishing community, with depth and nuance that rival and even exceed that of their hearing counterparts in the story," says Whetter, who is also vice-chair of the disability nonprofit RespectAbility.

Review: Brilliant 'CODA' is a moving, must-see movie that will inspire you to sign up for Apple TV+

What 'CODA' got right

The film, written and directed by Siân Heder ("Tallulah"), was a hit out of the Sundance Film Festival , where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for drama as well as best director and best ensemble. Apple TV+ purchased the film for $25 million.

Audiences and reviewers quickly hailed the movie – and rightly so, according to members of deaf communities.

Whetter appreciated the film's ensemble with multiple deaf characters – what he calls "a rarity."

"This matters a great deal because one, there are so many amazing deaf performers out there who deserve opportunities to be seen; and two, by only making films with only one deaf character, Hollywood closes itself off from the opportunity to tell incredible stories rooted in our communities and culture," Whetter says.

The ASL dialogue also impressed him.

"Credit must be given to the ASL consultants on the film, and to (Jones) as well, whose facial expressions and body language were so on point, it is almost hard to believe she wasn’t raised by a deaf family," Whetter says.

'We are not costumes': Why Marlee Matlin put her foot down, insisting 'CODA' cast deaf actors

Deaf writer Sara Novic enjoyed that the film allowed its characters to exist beyond their deafness. Deaf characters not only have sex in the film, but Ruby's father tries to give his daughter a sex talk via sign language – which one can only laugh-cry at.

"I liked that these characters were sexual beings – deaf and disabled people are often neutered or virginal in movies and books, and that's extremely boring and inaccurate," Novic says.

James Viscardi , a CODA himself, felt the film accurately portrayed his experience.

"That isolated experience of being the ears/mouthpiece for your family, and how that forces a child to grow up fast, I thought rang very true to my own experience," Viscardi says. "I was also into music as a child, and so this story hit way closer to home for me than anything."

Quite the ensemble: Fall in love with 'CODA'? Marlee Matlin's co-stars (deaf and not) give standout performances

What 'CODA' could have done better

With praise, however, comes backlash, too.

Beacom is deaf and has a 20-year-old hearing daughter – also an accomplished singer and part of a high school choir, like Ruby. But she didn't feel uncomfortable watching her sing like Ruby's family does in the film.

"I have been in the exact position shown in the movie, sitting in the audience watching her sing," Beacom says. "And I have been nothing but thrilled for her and her successes."

"Overall, I'm thrilled that the movie exists, in the sense of contributing to more deaf representation and hopefully more opportunities for even better representation," Beacom says. But she's also "very disturbed by how negatively the movie portrays the deaf and CODA experiences."

Ruby serves as the primary interpreter for her family, even in situations where there could've been a paid professional there, such as in a courtroom or doctor's office.

"There is an absolutely mind-boggling lack of professional ASL interpreters," Beacom says. "I get that the family is isolated, and I get that they don't have much money, and some of the more incidental interactions make sense."

National Association of the Deaf CEO Howard A. Rosenblum, notes, however, that this is the case across many other settings.

"American society has changed in many ways, including stronger disability rights that have empowered many deaf adults to rely less on their hearing children as was portrayed in 'CODA'", Rosenblum says. "Nevertheless, there are still many hearing children today who function as the family interpreter for their deaf parents, although this should never happen in formal settings like a courtroom or a hospital where professional neutral interpreters are required."

Novic concedes, too, that the film is somewhat of a cliché – "coming-of-age misfit in your family" – but "three real deaf leads is unprecedented and really exciting."

Still, communities crave more.

"More stories of, about and by deaf and hard of hearing people are needed in every shape and form to portray the full range within the truly diverse deaf and hard of hearing community," Rosenblum says. "By employing deaf and hard-of-hearing actors, the public is given opportunities to see these differences in our society."

Another point of contention: The film is centered on a white family. Did it have to?

"I’d rather Hollywood accept that there is a great thirst for unique stories centering Black deaf people and the people we love, and fund and produce those films," says Adrienne Gravish, group director and consultant with Deaf Talent Media and Entertainment Consulting.

Twitter user @ashleyodiliaa wrote before watching the film: "As a Black coda, I have many thoughts, and most are critical. But, this is the first time I’ve seen CODA representation in film. I’m prepared for the sea of interesting emotions to come."

Sundance awards: Crowd favorite 'CODA' and Questlove's 'Summer of Soul' take top honors

Why 'CODA' is still worth seeing

For Novic, seeing any representation onscreen at all brings her to tears.

"Pretty much every time I see a deaf performer on stage or screen I cry, and CODA was no exception," she says. "I am so hungry for authentic representation of deaf people in our media that it's an overwhelming feeling just to see a glimpse of yourself on the screen. It's almost a relief."

There's hope for more representation going forward.

"Deafness isn't a monolith," Novic says. "I want to see diversity of race and sexuality and class and experience and interest, the way the deaf community really is. You can't cram that all in one film, though; that's why 'disability representation' isn't a thing that Hollywood can add to a to-do list and then cross off – it's an ongoing project."

For hearing people, watching the film could make leaps and bounds of difference.

"My hope is that when people see this movie and encounter someone deaf in their everyday lives, they show a bit more compassion for what they face on a daily basis," Viscardi says. "I remember not many people taking me seriously when I'd speak up and for my parents, and how cruel people could be without realizing it."

And in case you missed: Sundance 2021: 'CODA' star Marlee Matlin talks inclusion, calls on Hollywood to 'hire more deaf actors'

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Deaf community responds to 'CODA': What the movie gets right and misses

When Troy Kotsur accepted his Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in "CODA" he became only the second deaf actor to win an Oscar — the first was his "CODA" co-star Marlee Matlin who won in 1986 for "Children of a Lesser God." In his speech he thanked deaf theater for helping him perfect his skills, screenwriter Siân Heder — and even joked he wanted to teach President Joe Biden dirty sign language. Then his speech turned personal.

“My dad he was the best signer in our family. But he was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down. And he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you," he said. "You are my hero."

After that touching moment he shared his historic win with those who helped him succeed.

“This is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community," he said. This is our moment.”

" CODA ," released on on Apple TV+ last year, has certainly sparked conversations in the deaf community. The film focuses on Ruby, a child of deaf adults, and her relationship with her parents and brother, all of whom are deaf. The movie also won Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Heder's work. Audiences also loved the movie and many appreciate that deaf actors play all the deaf characters, something that doesn’t occur as much as hearing people might believe.

“It’s absolutely fantastic that three main deaf roles are played by deaf actors. Marlee Matlin made that happen — when told that Frank and Leo (the husband and son) were going to be played by hearing actors, she insisted on deaf actors or she’d walk — and she deserves so much credit for that,” Jenna Fischtrom Beacom, 50, a deaf activist and writer in Columbus, Ohio, told TODAY via email. “Much of the interaction between the deaf actors is right on. I loved when Jackie (Marlee Matlin’s character) gets the attention of her husband and son at the concert by whapping them on the shoulder — that whole thing read as authentic and familiar to me in a way.”

Pop Culture 'CODA' actor shares how real-life moment with daughter inspired powerful scene

Having deaf actors makes some of the communication seem more natural, too.

“All three deaf characters are played by three actually deaf people,” Rikki Poynter, a 30-year-old YouTuber, writer and accessibility expert, told TODAY via email. “And when you get that right, the ASL is right.”

The deaf actors also used their own experiences in their roles, which added richness in some scenes.

“There were many incidental, probably unscripted moments that were authentic because the deaf roles were all filled with deaf characters, and the actors also provided feedback re: their own experiences,” Fischtrom Beacom said.

One scene that felt accurate to Poynter involves the family listening to “loud bass music, showing that one of the ways we enjoy music is through vibrations.” And, she appreciates how the movie tackles sex and disability in a way that most movies and TV shows don’t.

“Sex is such a taboo topic in general, but seems to be especially more so when it comes to disabled people,” she said. “I’m glad they did away with that ‘disabled people can’t be sexual or desirable’ nonsense.”

While the movie did some things well, there were moments that didn’t feel as realistic. Fischtrom Beacom thought that the main character Ruby used sign language like a “beginner” and some of the signing even among the deaf characters felt off.

“It was very clear that the dialogue was written by a hearing person. ASL and English are very different languages, with not only distinct syntax, grammar, etc., but also their own idioms,” she said. “There is overlap, and anything can be interpreted from one language to another but many phrases just don’t ‘work’ well when they’re supposed to be coming from culturally deaf-ASL users.”

And, the movie focuses on a plot point that might feel overdone to some.

“The ‘deaf people can’t enjoy music,’ stereotype that most music-and-losing hearing movies do,” Poynter said. “It’s so tiring.”

Poynter reviewed " CODA " for her YouTube channel, where she often reviews movies and discusses disability and accessibility, including her efforts to improve closed captioning. Even though the movie feels like inspiration porn, she believes it’s worth seeing.

“It’s not a perfect movie (is any movie though?) but I love Daniel (Durant) and Troy (Kotsur) especially and I grew up watching Marlee in things,” she said.

“CODA” has highlighted the need for better representation of deaf people and their stories and Fischtrom Beacom hopes that there’s room for more deaf writers, producers, actors and show runners.

“While actors are a huge part of improving deaf representation, they are far from the only part,” Fischtrom Beacom. “The writing in some ways is the most important thing; the decisions about what story is told and how to tell it.”

Being able to tell accurate stories about deaf people allows hearing people to develop a better understanding of deaf culture. Fischtrom Beacom shared an example: Most hearing people believe that all deaf people can lip-read and can do it from far away, in bad lighting or during a fast conversation, which is “utterly unrealistic.”

“There is a central conundrum that any deaf show or movie needs to appeal to hearing people to find real success, but hearing people generally know so little about deafness that what appeals is often sensationalistic or outside the deaf experience,” Fischtrom Beacom said. “I see some evidence that each success leads to something a little better.”

More accurate stories about deaf people can also have a positive impact on deaf people, hoping for narratives that reflect their experience. Fischtrom Beacom recently finished a young adult novel about a “newly deaf girl figuring out her deaf identity” with a magical and adventurous backdrop based a little on her own experience becoming newly deaf as a teen. And Poynter continues sharing on YouTube and streaming on Twitch.

“I grew up knowing next to nothing about deaf people, growing up alone and being the only deaf person I knew,” Poynter said. “Not being able to see people like me really had me feeling isolated. That’s why I made a YouTube channel 10+ years ago so mainstreamed deaf kids like me have someone they could see and relate to in some way,” she said. “It isn’t fun feeling like you’re some kind of ‘other’ when nobody else around you is like you.” Related:

Meghan Holohan is a digital health reporter for TODAY.com and covers patient-centered stories, women’s health, disability and rare diseases.

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Deaf community responds to 'CODA': What the movie gets right and misses

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After that touching moment he shared his historic win with those who helped him succeed.

“This is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community," he said. This is our moment.”

Having deaf actors makes some of the communication seem more natural, too.

The deaf actors also used their own experiences in their roles, which added richness in some scenes.

And, the movie focuses on a plot point that might feel overdone to some.

“The ‘deaf people can’t enjoy music,’ stereotype that most music-and-losing hearing movies do,” Poynter said. “It’s so tiring.”

“It’s not a perfect movie (is any movie though?) but I love Daniel (Durant) and Troy (Kotsur) especially and I grew up watching Marlee in things,” she said.

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Cast & crew
User reviews

Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, and Emilia Jones in CODA (2021)

As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at... Read all As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents. As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

Victoria Bedos
Stanislas Carré de Malberg
Emilia Jones
Marlee Matlin
Troy Kotsur
711 User reviews
267 Critic reviews
72 Metascore
66 wins & 145 nominations total

Jackie Rossi

Frank Rossi

Tony Salgado

(as Molly Beth Thomas)

Guidance Counselor

Bernardo Villalobos
Harry Potter Boy
Shaker Girl
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Best Picture Winners by Year

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Did you know

Trivia Emilia Jones spent nine months learning American Sign Language, having singing lessons, and learning how to operate a fishing trawler.
Goofs The majority of the movie takes place in Massachusetts in autumn, yet the leaves on the trees are green. By October, all of the leaves would have changed colors or dropped entirely. The summer-appropriate costumes and the late evening light also reveal that the movie wasn't filmed in fall.

Ruby Rossi : [signing] Did you ever wish I was deaf?

Jackie Rossi : [signing] When you were born, at the hospital, they gave you a hearing test. And there you were, so tiny and sweet, with those electrodes all over you. And I... prayed that you would be deaf. When they told us that you were hearing, I felt... My heart sank.

Ruby Rossi : [signing] Why?

Jackie Rossi : [signing] I was worried that we wouldn't connect. Like me and my mom, we're not close. I thought I would fail you. That being deaf would make me a bad mom.

Ruby Rossi : [signing] Don't worry. You are a bad mom for so many other reasons.

[They laugh]

Connections Featured in CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley: Episode #43.33 (2021)
Soundtracks Something's Got a Hold On Me Written by Etta James , Leroy Kirkland and Pearl Woods Performed by Etta James Courtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User reviews 711

Aug 13, 2021
How long is CODA? Powered by Alexa
August 13, 2021 (United States)
United States
Official Apple TV+
American Sign Language
Giai Điệu Con Tim
Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
Apple Original Films
Vendôme Pictures
Pathé Films
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$10,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 51 minutes

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CODA Reviews

Coda refuses to rehash the well-worn tropes of this May-December subgenre, swapping it out for an almost Bergman-like contemplativeness.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 20, 2023

CODA is a delight, a warm hug of a film that knows its genre and makes the very most of it. Siân Heder’s script is simple, and the message that she sends is heartfelt. A crowd-pleaser with love to spare.

Full Review | Sep 17, 2023

...weakening a film whose representation of the underrepresented is so intense at times that its dependence on Hallmark-like characteristics is more than mildly disappointing.

Full Review | Jul 27, 2023

A Must Watch Winner that will delight you

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

Siân Heder offers her impeccable direction and beautifully written screenplay, which is packed with emotionally powerful moments that left me tearing up for the last forty-five minutes.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jul 24, 2023

CODA is a simple, moving film with great performances.

Full Review | Jun 27, 2023

What so impressed me and makes this a movie I'd recommend is how writer and director Sian Heder used sound -- and the lack of sound -- to showcase the beauty and emotional power of music to connect with people.

Full Review | Mar 31, 2023

With one of the most clever scripts of the year, CODA made me feel a lot of feelings.

Full Review | Feb 10, 2023

"CODA is sweet, sincere and genuinely funny in parts, and it’s precisely the kind of coming-of-age film that we should hope to see more of. "

Full Review | Nov 19, 2022

...alternates between being contrived and genuinely moving.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 9, 2022

CODA is cathartic. A film that put a giant lump in your throat while at the same time lifting your spirits.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 9, 2022

It’s a movie about a cute kid who wants to go off to Fancy School in the City. The deafness is very much incidental.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 24, 2022

The humor makes for a great compliment to the coming-of-age drama which follows a pretty conventional blueprint but enhances it with a uniquely fresh perspective.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 17, 2022

Films like these highlight the differences and similarities and seek the bridge that gap as well as share a story of struggle, growth, and exploration. This film does all three magnificently and will bring audiences to tears.

Full Review | Aug 14, 2022

... The bones of The Belier Family are fleshed out in new, muscular ways by writer-director Sian Heder, working with deaf creative collaborators Anne Tomasetti and Alexandria Wailes.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 4, 2022

CODA works well to deliver effective drama, music and some comedy with character conflicts that are relatable.

Full Review | Jul 1, 2022

A foreseeable story that's adamant to be kind and only threat is sweetening the characters and the situations they go through, and makes it clear that the ending, too, will be conveniently happy. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jun 8, 2022

What hurts the most is the almost algorithmic…mechanisms of tabletop drama. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 12, 2022

A feel good triumph and standard coming of age narrative. The opportunities afforded the deaf cast are cause for celebration, even if their stories would have been more exciting to see compared to the familiar YA romance of the hearing protagonist

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 25, 2022

CODA is a classic story of intergenerational conflict spiced up with a culture clash narrative between the deaf and hearing communities. The execution is nearly flawless

Full Review | Apr 13, 2022

Despite Success of ‘CODA,‘ Study Finds Deaf Community ’Rarely‘ or ’Never’ Sees Itself Reflected on Screen

By Brent Lang

Executive Editor

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CODA, Troy Kotsur, 2021. © Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

In 2020, National Research Group (NRG) released a comprehensive look at Black representation on-screen. That study, which found that two in three Black Americans don’t see their stories represented in movies and shows, resonated with DJ Kurs, the artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, a Los Angeles-based theater company behind Tony Award-nominated revivals of “Big River” and “Spring Awakening.” Kurs wondered: Could NRG do similar research about how the entertainment business treats the deaf community?

Popular on Variety

The study found that films like “ CODA ” and television shows such as “ Only Murders in the Building ” are providing more opportunities for deaf performers, but Hollywood still perpetuates harmful stereotypes about deaf people. Some 79% of deaf consumers believe that there’s more representation of their community in TV and film now than there was a year ago. And 43% of hearing consumers, as well as 56% of Deaf consumers report that they’ve watched at least one piece of media featuring a deaf character within the past six months. Some of that may be driven by “CODA,” a drama about the only hearing member of a deaf family that won best picture at the 2022 Oscars. Some 66% of deaf consumers say that the film’s awards success increased public interest in stories about the community.

But some members of the deaf community believe they’ve seen this story play out before, so they aren’t optimistic it will result in sustained change. They note that the success of 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God” and Marlee Matlin’s Oscar victory sparked a flurry of interest in stories about the deaf experience. It was, however, a short-lived renaissance.

Even the progress that’s being made comes with caveats. Sixty three percent of deaf consumers say movies and shows that feature deaf characters use negative images of the community. Some 82% of these respondents believe the entertainment industry needs to offer more career support for deaf professionals in order to create more authentic on-sceen representation. In movies and shows, 70% of deaf consumers say deaf characters are seen as objects of pity or in need of help. Moreover, 74% of those deaf people surveyed said they “had a problem” with the fact that content about deaf people is frequently about being deaf. There’s a real world correlation. Some 76% of deaf people believe that the way their community is portrayed in fiction influences how they are perceived in daily life, shaping attitudes and calcifying prejudices.

“The way they are shown in media is reflected in how they are treated in the real world,” says Navaratnam-Blair. “This is a community where the majority of people do not interact with a deaf person on a regular basis, so a lot of their understanding of this community is driven by film and TV.”

And many genres have proved difficult to penetrate for deaf performers. Deaf consumers say they are most likely to see deaf people in dramas, documentaries, reality shows, romances or comedies. They aren’t as likely to crop up in action-adventures or animated titles, and 63% of hearing parents have never watched a children’s TV show or movie with their child that has featured a deaf character.

There’s also a certain uniformity in the kinds of deaf experiences portrayed on screen. In the U.S., hearing consumers are over twice as likely to have seen media featuring white deaf people as they are to have seen media featuring deaf people of color. A mere 6% of these viewers have ever seen a deaf LGBTQ+ person portrayed in fiction. That’s left more than half of deaf consumers, some 56%, saying they “rarely” or “never” see their identities represented in film and television.

“CODA” stands out as an example of a film that most deaf viewers found relatable, with 79% feeling that, on balance, it was a good example of deaf representation. Additionally, roughly four in 10 viewers described the film as “authentic” to their experience of deafness, while fewer than two in 10 felt that it was an inauthentic portrayal of deafness. Some respondents did fault the film for focusing on how the only hearing member of the family was a musical prodigy, saying this emphasis on music as a pivotal plot element played into long-standing stereotypes about the deaf community. “CODA” was directed and written by a hearing person, Sian Heder, but it made a point of casting cast multiple deaf actors like Troy Kotsur and Matlin, and had 40% of the film’s dialogue in ASL.

“It needs to be about actually making sure that deaf people and deaf creators have a seat at the table and that they are telling their own stories,” says Navaratnam-Blair. “This isn’t just about the industry giving them roles. It’s actually allowing deaf people to tell their own stories and build their own profiles.”

To compose their report NRG and Deaf West surveyed 1,000 members of the deaf community between the ages of 18 to 64. They also surveyed a comparison sample of hearing consumers from the same demographic. The authors augmented that information with interviews with deaf entertainers and activists such as “CODA” star Daniel Durant and filmmaker Jules Dameron to learn about their experiences.

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"Is Hollywood ready?": "CODA" stars and real-life CODAs on portrayals of the Deaf community

By Michael Roppolo

May 9, 2022 / 10:01 AM EDT / CBS News

Troy Kotsur was stunned by what he saw when he went up on stage to accept the Oscar for best supporting actor earlier this spring. The audience was a sea of waving hands.

"They were doing the Deaf clap — the Deaf applause," he signed in ASL during an interview with CBS News. "It seemed like they were sharing this mutual respect and this hellish, tough journey I've been on for over 30 years."

Kotsur's win was one of three for the film "CODA" that night, along with best picture and best adapted screenplay. It also marked a historic milestone for the Deaf community since co-star Marlee Matlin won the best actress Oscar for her role in "Children of a Lesser God" — 35 years ago.

"'CODA' just happened to be the right director, the right support, like Marlee and [director] Sian [Heder]. They really believed in bringing that authenticity to the big screen onto the big screen," he told CBS News. "Finally, we were able to show ourselves as authentic Deaf actors."

The title, "CODA," is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. The film tells a coming-of-age story about a hearing teenager (played by Emilia Jones) who is her Deaf family's link to the hearing world — torn between family responsibilities and pursuit of her newfound love of singing. Kotsur and Matlin play the parents while Daniel Durant plays the older brother.

The portrayals resonated with some real-life CODAs, even when their personal experiences differed.

Kaitlin Sommer, a CODA and student at Rochester Institute of Technology, told CBS News she never felt that it was her responsibility to interpret for her Deaf parents. That was intentional, says her mother, Lisa DeWindt-Sommer, an academic advisor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

"The kids sometimes wanted to," DeWindt-Sommer signed, referring to daughter Kaitlin and son Keiran. "And it was a challenge for us to remind them that it wasn't their responsibility to interpret, but rather the hearing person's responsibility to figure out how to communicate with us."

She also points out another distinction: CODA, with a "C," actually stands for children of Deaf parents who are 18 and older, while KODA, with a "K," is reserved for kids under 18 — stressing the fact that kids should be kids.

"When I'm going to school and interacting with the school, I always push hard to make sure that they're not expecting my child to be the interpreter," she adds. "Because my child is a child."

The inclusion of Deaf culture in education is key, she says. Hanging a poster with the alphabet in American Sign Language in the classroom is one way to embrace that.

"For young children with Deaf parents, it's really great to create resources so that they can see a representation of themselves and their culture in the classroom," DeWindt-Sommer explains. "Often KODA kids will know from day one that they're different, that they can hear like their other counterparts, but that they come from a different cultural background."

Jonathan Urquhart, a content creator and CODA himself, is what the community typically refers to as the "CODA thumb," in that he embraces Deaf culture and ASL. His older brother did not.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jon Urquhart (@jonurquhart_)

By the time he reached high school, Urquhart was already interpreting for his father — in situations where he probably shouldn't have been. That's not unlike a lot of CODAs, he notes.

"We grow up being like, 'I will not be an interpreter. I refuse,'" Urquhart said. "Then you become an interpreter and you're like, 'Well, OK.'"

Unlike most CODAs and what's portrayed in the movie, he was also a sighted guide to their DeafBlind father. But there were still some shared experiences.

When the movie goes silent for two minutes as the family watches their daughter sing, it brings back memories. Like the titular character in the movie, he would perform in the theater.

"That is what went through my head whenever my dad would come see me," Urquhart said. "It broke my heart. It really hit home for me."

The movie also hits on some real-life problems: Lack of access to interpreters — especially in rural areas and in court or at the doctor's office. Federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act ensure the right to interpreters, but there are still barriers.

"There are a lot of Deaf adults that I know actually that live in small rural areas that when the doctor … 'Oh, you can bring your own interpreter, right?'" Urquhart said. "They're usually like, 'Oh, yeah, my family can interpret for me.'"

It is a situation Troy Kotsur is all too familiar with. Growing up in a family with ties to law enforcement, he said his family members would sometimes appear in court — as interpreters.

"Sometimes when there was a situation in court, they actually had to interpret," he recalled. "So, they were thinking, 'Where's [the] access for these Deaf people? … There was never immediate availability for interpreters."

"It's their right to have communication," Kotsur added. "And the only way to solve this situation is by providing sign language and providing services."

"Imagine a world where everyone knows sign language," he said, riffing off of John Lennon's song "Imagine." "Then imagine all of these interpreters losing their jobs, because the whole world — everyone — will know sign language."

The world may be more exposed to ASL than ever before. Olivia Rodrigo and other stars were seen on the Grammys red carpet with sign language interpreters . "The Simpsons" made history, featuring its first Deaf voice actor and ASL in the long-running series. Snapchat even released a new filter showing basic signs.

Kotsur's "CODA" co-star, Daniel Durant, has been vocal in trying to make Hollywood more accessible. He hopes the film changes the hearing world's perception on captioning.

"I want to see not only Deaf people, but all people, speak up for captions because everyone benefits from captions," Durant told CBS News in ASL.

But he says it's up to the hearing people now.

"We've been doing this for so many years and Deaf people have been trying to inform the public," he adds. "It's up to the people who want to learn, if they want to learn, sign language."

When he appeared as a recurring character in "Switched at Birth," the show included a variety of teen characters, including D/deaf, HardofHearing, and hearing. But "CODA" explores the world from a deeply Deaf perspective.

"I have a gut feeling … that things will continue to change in the future," he adds. "And we'll continue growing opportunities and having different Deaf roles for movies and TV pop up."

Like Durant, Kotsur hopes this momentum will continue and that people with disabilities will be able to tell "their creative and diverse stories."

Kotsur dedicated the Oscar award to the Deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. "This is our moment," he declared in his acceptance speech that night .

"This is our fudging moment," Kotsur repeated in the interview with CBS News, with a knowing look. "And so my real question: 'Is Hollywood ready?'"

Interpretation for Troy Kotsur provided by Justin Maurer, interpretation for Daniel Durant provided by Gabriel Gomez, interpretation for Lisa DeWindt-Sommer provided by Chris McQuaid.

Academy Awards

Michael Roppolo is a CBS News reporter. He covers a wide variety of topics, including science and technology, crime and justice, and disability rights.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Heartwarming, salty story about hearing teen in deaf family.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Encourages compassion, empathy, perseverance, comm

Ruby is a patient, self-sacrificing, hard-working,

Movie is notable for having three prominent deaf c

Brief fistfight at a bar that leads to bruises. A

Conversations about hooking up, using Tinder to fi

Frequent strong language in both English and ASL:

Cars: Ford F250, Honda.

Joke about smoking a bowl; Jackie says that Frank

Positive Messages

Encourages compassion, empathy, perseverance, communication, teamwork. Promotes strong, truth-based relationships between family members, shows how deaf people are often marginalized in hearing culture. Demonstrates importance of praise, of trusted adults who believe in teens, of parents who support their kids' goals, talents, dreams. Encourages trying new things and pushing yourself past discomfort. A subplot shows how deaf people and CODAs must persevere against odds big and small, like being overlooked, misunderstood, ridiculed for their speech, etc.

Positive Role Models

Ruby is a patient, self-sacrificing, hard-working, loving daughter and sister. Her parents and brother are all close, and they expect to do a lot as a family. Ruby's parents become supportive of her dreams even though they can't fully relate to them (and know that success could take her away from them). Mr. V. is inspiring, encouraging. Movie is notable for its depiction of a CODA and her deaf family. The Rossis are fully developed characters with flaws and strengths.

Diverse Representations

Movie is notable for having three prominent deaf characters, all portrayed by deaf actors; star Emilia Jones studied ASL for nine months so she could sign her role as her family's sole hearing member. Movie focuses on the hearing member of the family; her deaf parents rely on her to translate, while her brother is more self-reliant. Prominently featured music teacher is Mexican and depicted by a famous Mexican actor.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Brief fistfight at a bar that leads to bruises. A scene when the Coast Guard boards the Rossis' fishing boat is momentarily fraught. Yelling/arguments. Teens bully a classmate by making fun of what her parents having sex sounded like.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Conversations about hooking up, using Tinder to find hot dates, a guy's penis size. Several references to a married couple's energetic sex life: They tell their doctor they can't go two weeks without having sex and later are overheard having loud sex (moaning, thumping) by their teenage daughter and a male friend. The teens endure a parental lecture about safe sex, even though they haven't even kissed yet. Later, they kiss a few times. Another young adult couple kisses passionately and shuts the door in a way that makes it clear they're about to do more. A man has jock itch.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent strong language in both English and ASL: "bulls--t," "s--t," "twat waffle," "s--tface," "nuts," "damn," "d--k," "bitches," one "f--k" subtitled from ASL, as well as other insults ("crazy," "awful," "garbage," "disgusting," "freak," etc.).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Joke about smoking a bowl; Jackie says that Frank smokes weed, and she drinks wine. Frank smokes a big blunt in public (he claims it's medical). Adults drink beer and wine at dinners and restaurants. A teen makes a joke that a club is code for "smoking a bowl after school." Cigarette smoking.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that CODA is writer-director Sian Heder's crowd-pleasing adaptation of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier . It follows high school senior Ruby Rossi ( Emilia Jones ), a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) who's the only hearing person in her family. Ruby's close-knit family relies on her, both for labor on their commercial fishing boat and to translate for them. But when she finds out that her love of singing could lead to bigger things, she must decide whether to follow her dream or stay with her family. The movie -- which is notable for starring three deaf actors ( Marlee Matlin , Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant) as the deaf characters -- has lots of strong language, both spoken and signed ("s--t," "damn," etc., and one "f--k"). There's also kissing, a comically awkward scene of teens walking in on parents having loud sex, sexual jokes, and a running gag about how hot and heavy Ruby's parents are. Adults drink wine and beer, and Ruby's dad smokes marijuana; there's also cigarette smoking. A young adult gets in a bar fight and ends up with a bruised eye, and a scene with the Coast Guard is filmed to suggest how disturbing it would be for deaf boaters to have their craft boarded. While the movie focuses on a specific kind of family, its themes of compassion, empathy, perseverance, communication, and teamwork are universal to growing up. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

Parents say (6)
Kids say (11)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Beautiful movie (with sex scene & sexual references)

What's the story.

The term CODA -- the title of director Sian Heder's remake of the 2014 French comedy La Famille Bélier -- is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. In this case, it refers to Ruby Rossi ( Emilia Jones ), a Gloucester, Massachusetts, high school senior who's the only hearing person in her family. Every morning before school, Ruby helps her father, Frank (Troy Kotsur), and brother, Leo (Daniel Durant), meet their fishing quota; she also serves as the family's translator. Ruby loves to sing, but she's never pursued it. Then, seemingly on a whim, she signs up for chorus as her elective and meets inspiring teacher Mr. Villalobos ( Eugenio Derbez ). Mr. V. coaxes Ruby out of her shell and assigns her a romantic duet with her crush, Miles ( Ferdia Walsh-Peelo ). Mr. V. encourages Ruby to consider auditioning for the Berklee College of Music, if she's willing to put in extra practice hours and voice lessons. Ruby knows leaving home would make it difficult for Frank and her mom, Jackie ( Marlee Matlin ), who rely on her help. Ruby can't help feeling torn between her personal dreams and her family's needs.

Is It Any Good?

This is a heartwarming, well-executed family/coming-of-age drama about a teen stuck between helping her family and fulfilling her potential. Jones, who reportedly spent nine months studying ASL to prepare for the role, gives a wonderfully expressive performance as Ruby, who's easy for audiences to cheer for, even when she's moody. But what really makes CODA notable is that, unlike the original French film, which starred all hearing actors, this version cast three deaf actors, including Oscar winner Matlin, as the deaf members of the Rossi family. All three stand out: Kotsur as Frank, the laid-back dad who makes fart jokes and can't keep his hands off of his former beauty-queen wife; Matlin as Jackie, a mom who doesn't quite know how to connect with her daughter; and Durant as Leo, the heartthrob, hotheaded brother who resents that his parents rely so much on Ruby. The cast is rounded out with notable supporting performances by Mexican comedian Derbez as the funny, larger-than-life Mr. V., and Sing Street alum Walsh-Peelo as Ruby's classmate, duet partner, and love interest, Miles.

Music is a huge part of the film, and the two songs Ruby sings are ideally chosen to reflect her situation. First, there's the legendary Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet "You're All I Need to Get By," which is one of pop music's most perfect love songs and in this case acts as a catalyst for Ruby and Miles' growing but slow-burning romance. It's a beautiful song, and the arrangement chosen for Jones and Walsh-Peelo suits their complementary voices and evokes so much joy and love that Ruby's family can feel it while watching others react during an important performance. The other key song is the one Ruby is practicing for her audition. Her take on Joni Mitchell's " Both Sides Now" is sure to bring tears to many viewers' eyes, as will the beautiful scene when Ruby sings just for her father. Heder takes the movie in various directions with its mix of coming-of-age drama, high school angst, broad comedy, and working-class themes, but it all works, coming together as a memorable family movie night pick for parents with teens.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the representation of deaf people and families in CODA . Why is it important that deaf roles go to deaf actors? Why does representation in the media matter?

Which characters demonstrate positive character strengths ? Why are empathy , perseverance , and teamwork important?

What did you think of the running joke about Jackie and Frank not being able to stop touching each other? Who did you agree with? Ruby when she says it's "disgusting," or Miles, who says it shows how much her parents love each other?

Talk about the tension between personal dreams and family obligations. How do Jackie and Fank demonstrate the importance of supporting their children?

Movie Details

In theaters : August 13, 2021
On DVD or streaming : August 13, 2021
Cast : Emilia Jones , Marlee Matlin , Troy Kotsur , Eugenio Derbez
Director : Sian Heder
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : Apple TV+
Genre : Drama
Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Music and Sing-Along
Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
Run time : 111 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : strong sexual content and language, and drug use
Awards : Academy Award , Common Sense Selection
Last updated : April 23, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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IMAGES

'CODA' review: Movie about a deaf family is a heart-warmer
Deaf Person Reviews CODA (2021)
New Film about a Deaf Family Wins Awards, Sets Records
CODA (Film) Review
CODA review: A playful, fearless movie about Deaf family life and hard
“CODA” Movie Private Showing with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

COMMENTS

One Good Thing: CODA takes the deaf community seriously
One Good Thing: A family drama that takes the deaf audience seriously. CODA is a big-hearted crowdpleaser about a teen, her dreams, and her family. By Alissa Wilkinson @alissamarie [email protected] ...
Some Deaf Viewers of 'CODA' Are Torn Over the Movie
In many ways, the success of "CODA," the drama about a deaf family with a hearing daughter, is a breakthrough moment for deaf audiences: The movie won best picture at the Oscars on Sunday ...
CODA Film Review: A Warm, Hilariously Funny Crowd-Pleaser About Deaf
While CODA certainly explores deafness and Deaf culture from a hearing point of view — responses from the Deaf community have varied from positive to critical — the film relies neither on pity ...
CODA movie review & film summary (2021)
Jones is the 17-year-old Ruby, a hardworking high-schooler in the coastal Cape Ann's Gloucester who habitually wakes up at the crack of dawn every day to help her family—her father Frank (Kotsur) and brother Leo (Durant) and mother Jackie (Matlin)—at their boat and newly found fish sales business. Heder is quick to give us a realistic ...
'CODA' Review: A Voice of Her Own
CODA Rated PG-13 for unrestrained flatulence and a bawdy mime. In English and American Sign Language with subtitles. In English and American Sign Language with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 52 ...
CODA review: A playful, fearless movie about Deaf family life and hard
The film may be a little sweet for some tastes (yes, I cried) but CODA is also refined. In a dark moment, I was thankful for the film's celebration of family, friends, and life. The most meme ...
Oscar wins for 'CODA' bring tears, elation to Deaf community
In this 1964 image provided by Laurie Barish, she poses with her mom, Carolann D'Onofrio, center, who is deaf, and brother Robert Barish, right, in New York. Laurie Barish said the movie CODA, which won the Oscar for Best Picture on March 27, 2022, is a sign of greater acceptance of the Deaf community. (Courtesy of Laurie Barish via AP)
'CODA' Review: A Family Drama That Hits Notes of Enthralling ...
Camera: Paula Huidobro. Editor: Geraud Brisson. Music: Marius de Vries. With: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Durant, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Amy Forsyth, Kevin ...
Jennifer Pastiloff: 'CODA' Represents Deaf Community On Screen
What "CODA" teaches us is this: We all belong. Jennifer Pastiloff is the author of "On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard.". She travels the world with her ...
'CODA' Review: The Formulaic Coming-of-Age Tale Gets a Freshening
'CODA' Review: Deaf Family Saga Makes the Coming-of-Age Drama Feel New Again Sian Heder's family drama is marked by familiar beats, but her characters — a deaf family and its one hearing ...
'CODA' movie: Deaf communities praise, criticize new film on Apple TV+
What 'CODA' got right. The film, written and directed by Siân Heder ("Tallulah"), was a hit out of the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for drama as well as best ...
Deaf community responds to 'CODA': What the movie gets right and misses
Having deaf actors makes some of the communication seem more natural, too. "All three deaf characters are played by three actually deaf people," Rikki Poynter, a 30-year-old YouTuber, writer ...
"We're Not Deaf Actors
CODA marks the feature film debut of Durant, playing the calf sock- and Nike slide-wearing Leo, the endlessly charming if not occasionally overbearing onscreen son of Matlin's Jackie and Kotsur ...
CODA
Rated: 3.5/5 • Dec 20, 2023. Sep 17, 2023. Jul 27, 2023. Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family -- a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her life revolves ...
Deaf community responds to 'CODA': What the movie gets right and misses
Meghan Holohan. Updated March 28, 2022 · 6 min read. Deaf community responds to 'CODA': What the movie gets right and misses. When Troy Kotsur accepted his Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in "CODA" he became only the second deaf actor to win an Oscar — the first was his "CODA" co-star Marlee Matlin who won in 1986 ...
CODA (2021)
CODA: Directed by Sian Heder. With Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, John Fiore. As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
CODA
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 20, 2023. CODA is a delight, a warm hug of a film that knows its genre and makes the very most of it. Siân Heder's script is simple, and the message ...
After 'CODA,' Study Examines Deaf Representation on Screen
Despite Success of 'CODA,' Study Finds Deaf Community 'Rarely' or 'Never' Sees Itself Reflected on Screen. In 2020, National Research Group (NRG) released a comprehensive look at Black ...
"CODA" Movie, A Peek into the Deaf Community
The movie, "CODA," gives a glimpse into the deaf community's world. My sister-in-law was raised by deaf parents. Her stories are both heart-breaking and fascinating.
'CODA' Review: Emotionally Honest Embrace of Deaf Culture
The supremely gifted girl in question here happens to be one, played by Emilia Jones. She is negotiating the nuances of her identity, passions, and familial expectations, trying to balance them without hurting anyone's feelings, including her own. CODA is, to be honest, based on the French movie "La Famille Bélier," so the concept isn ...
"Is Hollywood ready?": "CODA" stars and real-life CODAs on portrayals
"CODA" stars and real-life children of Deaf adults reflect on film's impact 03:31. Troy Kotsur was stunned by what he saw when he went up on stage to accept the Oscar for best supporting actor ...
CODA Movie Review
The term CODA -- the title of director Sian Heder's remake of the 2014 French comedy La Famille Bélier -- is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. In this case, it refers to Ruby Rossi ( Emilia Jones ), a Gloucester, Massachusetts, high school senior who's the only hearing person in her family.

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