CODA (2021)    Apple TV+/Drama    RT: 111 minutes    Rated PG-13 (strong sexual content and language, drug use)    Director: Sian Heder    Screenplay: Sian Heder    Music: Marius de Vries    Cinematography: Paula Huidobro    Release date: August 13, 2021 (US)    Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin, Amy Forsyth, Kevin Chapman.      Partially spoken in American Sign Language (ASL) w/subtitles

Rating: *** ½

 Before the COVID pandemic, I was a regular at the Ritz 5, Philadelphia’s premier arthouse theater. I went there every week to see the latest they had to offer in art cinema. I haven’t made any trips to the city since before the lockdown. As much as I miss it, I’m not ready to return just yet. This is why I support simultaneous theatrical and streaming releases. It allows me the opportunity to see films I otherwise wouldn’t get to see. I still prefer seeing movies in a theater, but I’ll see them however I can until life returns to normal or something close to it.

 CODA (an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) is currently playing at the Ritz 5; it’s also streaming on Apple TV+. I knew I had to see it as soon as I saw the trailer. It looked GOOD! Written and directed by Sian Heder (Tallulah), it’s actually a remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Belier. I didn’t see that one, so I wasn’t thinking of it as I watched CODA with my wife. I was actually thinking of another foreign film, the excellent 1996 German drama Beyond Silence. The two films have similar plots in that they both deal with CODAs torn between their families and dreams of making music. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the older movie, but the new one is absolutely outstanding.

 For all her life, 17YO Ruby (Jones, Locke & Key) has been her deaf family’s only connection to the hearing world. The only hearing member of her family, she’s their interpreter in a variety of situations. She wakes up before the crack of dawn to help her father Frank (Kotsur, The Number 23) and older brother Leo (Durant, Switched at Birth) on their fishing boat. After putting in a full morning’s work, she races to school reeking of fish. She barely has time to do her schoolwork much less pursue her true passion, music. This girl LOVES to sing! She’s great at it too.

 Ruby gets a chance to chase her dream after she signs up for choir. The teacher Mr. V (Derbez, Instructions Not Included) sees/hears something special in this shy girl who bolts from the room the first day when she’s called upon to sing in front of others. He encourages her to audition for Berklee College of Music in Boston, even agreeing to coach her privately to prepare. The problem is her family. They need her. Also, they’re not exactly supportive of her dream, especially her mother Jackie (Matlin, Children of a Lesser God) who thinks she’s being selfish. Music is something they can’t share as a family.

 I’ve been a fan of Emilia Jones since I saw her as a little girl in the hilarious comedy-drama What We Did on Our Holiday, a Brit take on the underseen 1988 film Rocket Gibraltar starring Burt Lancaster in his penultimate movie role. She stood out as eldest daughter Lottie, a wise and mature 10YO who sees right through her dysfunctional family’s BS. She may be older in CODA, but she acts her age as a high schooler dealing with the usual teen drama (friends, love and mean girls) in addition to the drama at home- the family decides to start their own fishing business and need her to communicate with customers and vendors. A subplot has Ruby assigned to sing a duet at a school concert with the shy boy she’s been crushing on, guitar player Miles (Peelo, Sing Street). Of course, there are complications on the road to romance including a terrible misunderstanding that keeps them apart for a while. Jones takes a commanding lead in CODA, carrying it to emotional heights not achieved by too many other movies, the most recent example being the dramatically inert Joe Bell.

 Jones is supported by an unusually strong supporting cast that includes deaf performers. The three actors playing her family- Matlin, Kotsur and Durant- are deaf in real life. It adds a level of realism. Matlin, an Oscar-winning actress who lobbied for the casting of deaf actors, is incredible as the mother afraid of losing her family’s lifeline. She’s hard on her daughter, but it’s only because they’re so much alike, more than Ruby realizes. Kotsur brings a lot of comic energy as the father not afraid to speak/sign his mind or spark up a joint in public. Durant is also good as the brother who quietly resents Ruby for her ability to hear, speak and sing.

 The movie’s only misstep, and it’s a small one, is Derbez’s flamboyant performance as Mr. V. He doesn’t feel like a real character. The rest of CODA is steeped in authenticity and emotion. Heder and the talented cast make us believe we’re watching a real family. They have their ups and down. The parents embarrass their daughter regularly, especially when they have loud sex while she has company. Another funny scene that really rings true is a doctor’s visit where Ruby hears (and translates) very personal things that no child should ever have to know about their parents. The poor girl is absolutely mortified. By the same token, the drama feels completely real and authentic. What would life be like for the family if Ruby chooses to leave? Will her career choice create a divide between her and her family? How will Ruby do without her family? Can she walk away from what she sees as an obligation and a burden? These are big things for a teen to ponder.

 I thought about describing a couple of highly emotional scenes in CODA, but I don’t think I’m going to do that, at least not in detail. Well, I’ll talk about the one. In it, all sound vanishes as Ruby’s family watches her perform at the school concert. It’s powerful in that it lets us experience her gift from their perspective. They’ll never know the pleasure of hearing her beautiful voice, but they see the effect it has on others. It’s a big moment. There’s another a little bit down the road- i.e. her Berklee audition- but I’ll leave it for you to experience yourself.

 In a season defined by empty cinematic vehicles full of bombast, sound and fury, a small drama like CODA is like a breath of fresh air. It’s about regular people NOT people with super powers. They have real problems NOT assignments involving megalomaniacal villains plotting world domination. Films like this usually come out at awards time. I truly hope voters remember CODA when it’s time to cast ballots. It’s excellent.

P.S. I’ll return to the Ritz 5 when they resume their old schedule- i.e. early afternoon shows. I like seeing two movies in one visit.