‘CODA’ film review: A compelling story that finds its own groove and does not waste its talent

If there is one movie you watch in 2021 and you want it to be a feel-good one, let it be Sundance-winner ‘CODA’ for its inclusivity of the deaf community, a love for music and its coming-of-age wonder

If you think CODA is going to be your run-of-the-mill ‘disability’ movie, you’re in for a surprise. Directed by Siân Heder (writer of Orange Is The New Black and director of Talullah), it is an organically-told story of a family that happens to be deaf and adapting to financial challenges and raising a family. But there are waves of humour in this film, some dark and some cringe, but all welcome. . The film — an English remake of 2014 French comedy-drama La Famille Bélier — follows the Rossi family, who reside in a seaside town in Massachusetts. Daughter Ruby (Emilia Jones) is a 17-year-old high school student who happens to be the only hearing-abled person in her family. She occasionally helps her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) and father Frank (Troy Kotsur) run their family-owned fishing business with starts to face some financial hardships. Her mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin) is both affectionate and somewhat over-dependent, which often drives Ruby up the wall.