The vicissitudes of the deaf

Among the nominations for the Best Film Award at this year’s Oscars is CODA, a drama about a teenage girl who helps her deaf family.

Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is a high school student and a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). She lives with her family in a seaside house. She helps her father and brother who are fishermen. By law at least one person that can hear and speak should accompany deaf fishermen on board.

But, Ruby is shy, yet she discovers her talent for singing, which develops into a passion and the only way she can live for herself.

Ruby spent her life as a free interpreter for the family, who consider her as their only way of communication with people.

Although Ruby is given the chance to study singing in another state, she is torn between helping her family as an interpreter or following her passion.

The film is an English remake of 2014 French comedy-drama La Famille Bélier, about the deaf community and their everyday struggle with a world that can neither speak their language nor understand them.

The storyline is simple and predictable with no major events. It is the acting and artistic shots that make it a work of art, putting the deaf under a spotlight and becaming their voices. In one major scene, Ruby is singing on stage while her family are in the audience watching her. Suddenly the scene is shown in silence with shots of father (Troy Kotsur) and mother (Marlee Matlin) and brother (Daniel Durant) who follow the reactions of other audience members. For a few seconds, director Sian Heder puts us in the shoes of this family.

Eventually, her father allows his daughter to study singing but he has to test her voice himself. In another emotional scene, the father asks his daughter to sing and he touches her throat and chest to feel the vibration of her voice.

The parents are deaf in real life and many of the scenes are acted with sign language. It is a message to deaf people not to lose faith and engage with the society.

Emilia Jones as Ruby demonstrated that she is a hard worker with a wonderful voice and a natural acting style. Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin lent a little humour.

CODA is a special movie that not only gives you a hearty artistic feast, but also calls for understanding the deaf and for them to keep engaging with others.