CODA: release date, cast, storyline, trailer release, and everything you need to know.

CODA is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder. An English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Family Belier, it stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the child of deaf adults (CODA) and only hearing member of her family, who attempts to help her family’s struggling fishing business while pursuing her aspirations to become a singer.

The movie uses deaf actors to play the deaf characters, who, along with Jones, communicate using American Sign Language. Eugenio Derezz, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant (in his feature film debut), and Marlee Matlin are featured in supporting roles. An international co-production between the United States and France, with Philippe Rousse let of La Family Belier reprising his role as producer, it was filmed on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the United States.

 CODA had its world premiere on January 28, 2021, at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where Apple acquired its distribution rights for a festival-record $25 million. The film was released through the Apple TV+ streaming service on August 13, 2021. It received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised Heder’s screenplay and Kotsur’s performance, although feedback from deaf viewers was polarized. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2021 by the American Film Institute and has since been cited as among the best films of the 2020s.

CODA won numerous awards, including all three nominations at the 94th Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Kotsur, and Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming the seventh Best Picture winner to win every award it was nominated for, after Wings (1927), Grand Hotel (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), Gigi (1958), The Last Emperor (1987), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). It became the first film both distributed by a streaming service and the first film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to win Best Picture. Kotsur also became the first male deaf actor to win an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.

Release Date

Dates of release Sundance: January 28, 2021

United States: August 13, 2021
111 minutes of running time
Nations France States of America

Languages English Sign Language in America

Plot

Seventeen-year-old Ruby Rossi lives in Gloucester, on the northeastern coast of Massachusetts; her parents, Frank and Jackie, and older brother, Leo, are all deaf. After high school, she intends to work full-time for the family fishing business, helping where she can. Ruby signs up for choir as an elective after seeing her crush, Miles, do so one day at school. Ruby is given a duet with Miles by her music instructor, Mr. Bernardo “Mr. V” Villalobos, who also encourages her to sing more.

As new fines and penalties are enforced by the municipal board, Frank and Leo are struggling to make ends meet in their fishing operation. Everyone is upset about the fact that more boats are going missing from the harbor during a board meeting. Frank declares during the ranting that he plans to launch his own business to circumvent the new regulations and plans to sell his fish independently. He extends an invitation to other nearby fisherman to join him in this endeavor. The family relies on Ruby to spread the news as they battle to get the new business off the ground.

Mr. V gives Ruby private lessons to help her get ready for her audition at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music. Ruby concurs, although she is frequently late for their classes due to her growing responsibilities to the family business (her parents rely on her to interpret for them). Ruby’s persistent tardiness annoys Mr. V, who reprimands her for squandering his time and showing no interest in music.

One day, Frank and Leo go fishing with a federal fishing observer who is unaware of their deafness while Ruby is gone swimming with Miles. The Coast Guard intercepts the boat when it does not reply to radio calls and ship horns. Due to their carelessness, Frank and Leo receive fines and have their fishing permits revoked. Ruby responds that she cannot always translate for them and that she was not at blame when they tell her that she ought to have been on the boat with them. Frank and Leo successfully appeal and are granted their license back, provided that a hearing representative is always present. Ruby informs her family that she would be joining the company full-time in place of attending college. Although Ruby’s parents are encouraging, Leo snaps, telling them they can live without her because Ruby is a real talent. Afterwards, after a fight, he informs Ruby that she would always regret not attending college.

Ruby’s family is present at her choir recital and observes the enthusiastic response from the surrounding crowd. Frank is upset and begs Ruby to perform for him that evening as he feels her voice cords. After that, the family takes Ruby to Boston for her Berklee audition. She runs into Miles before her audition, who tells her that he did not make it and wishes her luck. Ruby’s family approaches the balcony surreptitiously as Mr. V arrives to provide piano accompaniment. Ruby is first uneasy and ill-prepared, but when Mr. V inadvertently makes a mistake with his accompaniment, she is given the opportunity to start over and becomes more assured when she sees her relatives. To ensure people understand her, she signs along as she sings “Both Sides, now” by Joni Mitchell.

Miles is invited to see Ruby in Boston when she receives an acceptance to Berklee. As this was going on, the hearing employees in the family’s fishing company were studying sign language so they could interact with and provide interpretation for the family. Ruby’s family waves them off as her friend Gertie drives her to Boston for college; Ruby writes “I love you so much” (literally, “I really love you”) to them on their way out.

Cast

Jones in the role of Ruby Rossi
Troy Kotsur as Ruby’s father Frank Rossi and Eugenio Derezz as Bernardo “Mr. V” Villalobos, the high school choir director
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo portraying Ruby’s romantic interest, Miles
Daniel Durant as Leo Rossi, Ruby’s brother; Amy Forsyth as Gertie, Ruby’s closest friend; Marlee Matlin as Jackie Rossi, Ruby’s mother
Brady, played by Kevin Chapman
Tony Salgado, played by John Fiore
Joanne Biles, played by Rebecca Gibel

What is the story about?

Ruby (Emilia Jones), who is seventeen years old, is the only hearing member of a deaf family. She is a CODA, or child of deaf adults. Her daily activities before school include of working on the family’s struggling fishing boat with her father and older brother, Daniel Durant, and serving as an interpreter for her parents, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur. However, Ruby realizes she has a gift for singing when she joins the chorus at her high school, and she quickly finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Ruby is pushed to go to a prominent music school by her passionate, tough-love choirmaster Eugenio Derezz, but she must choose between following her own goals and her family’s expectations.

Who is making Coda: Crew List

A peek at the production staff and behind-the-scenes personnel of Coda. Sian Heder, the film’s director, previously helmed Tallulah and Being Heumann. Sian Heder, who penned Tallulah and Being Heumann, is back with another picture.

Production: What we know about Coda?

Following its screening in the US Dramatic Competition section of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, CODA was recognized with an unprecedented four awards: the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award, the Directing Award, and the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.
The film became the first-ever winner of every major prize in the US Dramatic Competition category at the Sundance Film Festival.

Using streaming

August 13, 2021, saw the movie’s national release on the streaming service Apple TV+ in a few countries. According to Indiewire, the film’s American first weekend receipts were approximately $100,000.

About $10 million was invested by Apple in the movie’s award campaign. The movie has been streamed in 973,000 US homes by March 20, 2022, including 375,000 since the February 8 announcement of the Oscar nominations. After winning Best Picture, the movie had 300% more views in the three days that followed and was the top streamed content on Apple TV+.

Kotsur claims that the movie was originally rated R “for language,” as indicated by the subtitles used in some scenes containing the dialogue of the deaf characters. However, following multiple “back-and-froths” and confrontations with the MPA, the film was finally downgraded to PG-13 “for strong sexual content and language, and drug use” months before its official release. “Violent sign language is just a part of our culture,” Kotsur continued. But are the individuals you hear ready? That is why it was awesome. Seeing that in the script is fascinating.

The only contemporary picture to win the Academy Award for Best Picture without being made available on home video platforms is CODA.

Critical reaction

Emilia Jones was commended for her work.
94% of the 295 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates reviews, were positive and gave the movie an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. According to the critics on the website, “CODA’s story offers few surprises, but strong representation and a terrific cast—led by Emilia Jones’ brilliant performance—bring this coming-of-age story vividly to life.” Based on the reviews of 46 critics, Metacritic gave the movie a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, which indicates “generally favorable reviews”.

A three-star review by Benjamin Lee for The Guardian summarized the film as follows: “Coda is a mostly likable concoction, but one that’s just too formulaic and ultimately rather calculated to secure the emotional response it so desperately wants by the big finale.”