This review includes mild spoilers.

CODA is a wonderfully tender family drama that brings disability representation to the fore.

The newly Oscar crowned best picture, which stands for Child of Deaf Adults, can be overly saccharine at times, but is likely to leave you feeling warm.

Bar the added dimension of disability, it is completely formulaic and designed to make you feel emotional, but walks the line with enough authenticity that it still works.

CODA follows the story of Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), who is able to hear, while both her parents and brother are deaf.

It deals with the trials and tribulations that this brings, given she is often deputised as the family’s interpreter when dealing with other people who do not know sign language.

Naturally, this puts her in a difficult position at times when she feels unable to live her own life because of her obligation to the family.

Add the fact that she is a teenager trying to establish her position in the world, and you can see a recipe for big-screen tension.

If you think this is one false note away from being a Hallmark movie, then you are correct, but CODA’s heart is in the right place.

Jones’ central performance anchors the film, while excellent supporting roles from Troy Kotsur (winner of best supporting actor), Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant ensure it surpasses the sum of its parts.

The reception from the deaf community has been mixed, with some notable voices raising the fact that the family is depicted as being unable to function without Ruby.

Still, CODA has been praised for its portrayal of the Rossis as real people who have ambitions and complex family dynamics – something which is often muted in movie portrayals of the disabled.

They are not simply a plot device to add colour to Ruby’s story, but are themselves fully fleshed characters.

Similarly, all 3 deaf roles are played by deaf actors, something that probably would not have happened as recently as 10 years ago.

Should it have won best picture award? Absolutely not.

But when watching the movie on its own merits CODA has heart in spades and will likely make you more empathetic – what’s the harm in that?

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and drug use.

4/5.

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