Movie Review: CODA Proves A Good Family Is A True Gift
It is not, necessarily, a new formula: young girl, in a small town, must decide between leaving for a bigger city with big dreams or staying to support her family and their struggling business. Yet, what makes CODA unique is “the twist’ to the formula stems from lead Emilia Jones’ Ruby and her very real issue: her family is deaf and rely on her. She is not simply leaving them to pursue her goals in exchange of helping their work; she assists them in life.
A strange thing happens to you when you take care of a disabled or sick parent/ sibling, particularly from a young age: you become older spiritually. When we meet Ruby, she may be under 18, but her mind and soul feel like a 180, in part, because her childhood has been defined by adult issues and responsibilities. While she loves her family, and they gave her a happy life, like anyone, she wonders what is happiness beyond what you know or have been told. Jones makes this character so compassionate, wise, hopeful, but also withdrawn, tired, and seemingly wired to give to others without asking what she wants for herself. Hence, the film is her journey to finding a passion for herself, and her family’s growing acceptance and support in letting her do so. Frankly, that is so HUMANLY GORGEOUS!
While selflessness, especially for a good family, is beautiful, its true beauty rides on the self-love and care you give yourself. Yet, the sweetness of Troy Kotsur’s Frank ( Ruby’s father), Daniel Durant’s Leo (brother), and Oscar Winner Marlee Matlin’s Jackie (mother) makes you understand Ruby’s crux; how can it be that you need to move forward from a good family to discover how to be a better person for yourself? This question is born from a stellar performance by Eugenio Derbez’s Bernardo Villalobos. He is fantastic as the warm, optimistic and wise music teacher that approaches Ruby and works with purpose to find the inner voice of someone beyond the outer one people hear. THAT is, in essence, what Ruby needs to do, and what makes her journey about a kid who thinks they are a grown-up without realizing, in order to actually be one, you have to always be growing UP.
You can’t be grown if you stop growing, and, like most “old soul teens,” Ruby is witnessing she has SO MUCH TO GROW. I love that that is her epiphany and it is done through music, heartbreak, and familial breakthroughs. The essence of CODA is so heartwarming because, at its core, it is more universal than what might be perceived or claimed. So many children have duties that feel bigger than them, and can feel pressured to compensate and aid their parents because, frankly, life can touch anyone with its cold hands but the love of a good family keeps you warm. Thus, does Ruby go for her singing her dreams? Do her parents come around to support her? DOES SHE SUPPORT HERSELF? You have to watch CODA on Apple TV on August 13.
