A Lot on My Crate

“And now for something completely different.” says Monty Python, because I immediately went over to my keyboard and am ecstatic and in tears as I type this. Hope to do Ebert proud. Watched the movie that won Best Picture at the Oscars from 2021, CODA. It has one job. And it’s to start the waterworks and give us highs of emotion. And even though it arrived to me four years late, it does its job well. I’ve decided to write about this, since the motif of the film is centered around connection through music. As this blog’s sole purpose is anything and everything about music, I feel obliged to do this. I won’t do this often though. It’ll be back to songs and albums in no time.

The movie is about a young girl, Ruby, who is a CODA (child of deaf adults), which I didn’t know was an acronym. Ruby is in conflict with her family who doesn’t know her world, as her parents and her brother’s disability clashes with her life. She wants to branch out with her talent in singing, while her deaf family wants to settle in their fishing business. It restrains her, not only by her needful duty to her family, but her lack of self-confidence as well. The movie immediately profiles the family as likable and human. Their emotions are complex and relatable, while their dysfunctional problems are unique. Of course Ruby wants to support her family and her family loves her. But how does one connect and empathize if they’re physically not able to? CODA explores it via making our perspectives hers and her family’s. Whether its how she acts as an interpreter for her family to help out the business, her dad loves rap music for its rumbling bass, or we observe her brother and mother who just wants to be in on a joke they cannot participate in. There are supporting characters like her raunchy friend or a very likable choir teacher who wants to see her bloom and not waste her potential. They all see Ruby for who she is, as she struggles to see herself, since society gives her dirty looks. It’s a beautiful film. You sympathize what everyone is going through, there is no wrong. But you cheer for their breakthrough.

It implements two elements very well, the music and the silence for their corresponding worlds. Emilia Jones who plays Ruby, sings so well, I had to look her up and see if she’s done some projects. Alas, some theater projects. She and sometimes her duet partner for one other sings great cover songs as they do their originals justice. Some dialogue in the movie where there are no words exchanged at all, but hand gestures via ASL and they evoke emotion just as much as any other verbal fight in other films with talking. The silence was there, but the emotions were still palpable enough as you still ate your popcorn as the fly on the wall. The impact would not be present if it weren’t for the casting of actual deaf actors who play Ruby’s family.

The movie title, CODA, is a double play on words. The acronym that I mentioned of a child born of deaf adults and it’s also the musical term for the piece that you’re performing is done. It has a come to a close. Because near its last few minutes of closing, the movie has got me sobbing like a leaky faucet. I won’t say how they did it, as they landed on their feet on the execution and how they answered that connectivity question. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves music, drama, or just wants to good letting out of emotions. Ok ok, back to songs and albums.