This was my favorite movie at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/apples-25-million-plus-coda-acquisition-smashes-sundance-sales-record-1234613190/
This was my favorite movie at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Apparently, it wasn't just me who liked the film as it sold for $25M to Apple TV.
One thing that struck me as I watche the movie is it had so many of the narrative elements of an 80s movie:
--Teenage Protagonist
--Frustrated in life with an idyllic, but seemingly unachievable goal
--Challenging family life
--Romantic interest
--Mentor figure
--And lots and lots of music
Yet while the movie evokes memories of John Hughes-type films, it feels quite contemporary. Perhaps it's the setting, not the 80s suburbs, but a working class coastal town in Massachusetts. Maybe it's the unique family situation (the Protagonist Ruby's parents and older brother are all deaf, hence, CODA: Children Of Deaf Adults).
Those elements contribute to the contemporary feel, but what really makes it work in this decade is how grounded the tone is with regard to Ruby's relationship with her family. There's a kind of gritty realism to their interactions, definitely a blue collar family, but one who deal with their challenging circumstances - not only running a family business, but doing so while 3/4 of their members are deaf - with a proud embrace of who they are and what they have achieved.
The story aligns nicely with the Heroine's Journey as Ruby needs to forge her own path to embrace her potential as a singer, to quite literally find her "voice," and the path of her parents and brother to understand that is compelling and emotionally involving.
The fact the movie succeeds so well while being conventional in almost all respects speaks to the power of the characters. Each member of the Rossi family is unique and interesting in their own right. I look forward to exploring their individual and collective story this week.
How about you? What did you think of the script and/or movie CODA?