Remember CODA?

I ask that because this 2021 film often seems to be forgotten about when people discuss the films that have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Indeed, when the Oscar nominations were first announced for that year, many commentators treated the film’s nomination as an afterthought.  It was pointed out that CODA only had a total of three nominations, for Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.  It was expected that Troy Kostur would win Best Supporting Actor but it was also felt that Best Picture would be won by one of the big nominees, like The Power of the Dog, Belfast, or West Side Story.

But, interestingly enough, the momentum began to shift shortly after the nominations were announced.  The nomination brought the film to an entirely new audience, all of whom could stream the movie on Apple TV+.  The members of the Academy who hadn’t seen the film before the nominations were announced watched the film and many reportedly fell in love with the simple but touching story of a teenage girl who must decide whether to go to music school or to stay at home with her deaf parents and older brother.  By the time the Academy Awards were held, CODA had become the new front runner.

How did this happen?  A lot of it had to do with the fact that CODA was an unabashedly emotional story, one that was specifically made to bring tears to the eyes of the audience.  CODA was more humanistic than the remote and cold Power of the Dog.  Whereas both West Side Story and Belfast were obviously made with Oscar glory in mind, the low-budget CODA felt as if it simply wanted to tell a good story.  Unlike Dune, CODA was not made to launch a franchise and, unlike King Richard, it was about more than just one performance.  Its straight-forward approach provided quite a contrast to the stylized flourishes of Nightmare Alley and Licorice Pizza.  (Incidentally, Nightmare Alley and Licorice Pizza were my two favorite films of the year.)  It should also be remembered that CODA, like the previous year’s Nomadland, was watched while many people were still hiding their faces behind masks, terrified of catching COVID.  It was a time when many people were yearning for something that would just make them feel good.

And whatever else one might say about CODA, it’s definitely a feel good movie.  From the wonderful moments when Ruby (Emilia Jones) discovers her love for singing to the slyly humorous and emotionally honest performances of Troy Kostur, Marlee Matlin, and Daniel Durant as Ruby’s parents and brother, CODA is a film that will make you smile and think about the people who you consider to be your family.  It’s a sweet movie, one that reminds us that it’s okay to get emotional and that it’s okay to tell people that you love them and that, as an artform, film can be used for something other than just comic book adaptations.

That’s not say it’s a perfect film, of course.  Those who complained that CODA had the flat look of a made-for-TV movie were not incorrect and the fact that most people ended up watching the movie on TV (or, in my case, on a laptop) did not help with the issue.  As Ruby’s music teacher, Eugenio Derbez gives a rather broad performance that often fells at odd with the more realistic work of the rest of the cast.  The film had its flaws but it also made me smile and the end brought real tears to my mismatched eyes and there’s something to be said for that.  During a year when many people were still afraid to get close to anyone else, CODA was a film that celebrated love, family, and community.

Did CODA deserve to win Best Picture?  Like I said, I would have given the Oscar to either Nightmare Alley or Licorice Pizza but I liked CODA and, looking back, I certainly prefer its positive vibes to the well-made emptiness of Power of the Dog.  The low-key CODA is probably destined to join The Artist and Argo as one of the best picture winners that people tend to forget but no matter.  It’s a film that holds up well and, in 2021, it was exactly the film that a lot of people needed.