Avatar: The Way of Water

Personally, I enjoy James Cameron’s Avatar films more than I like to admit. I geek out over the technical achievements, the stunning visuals, the unique combination of motion capture acting and CGI. Most of all, the Avatar movies are incredibly immersive. They’re truly an escape that I don’t mind being three hours long. It’s amazing to witness this film’s reach with my oldest child, whose first introduction to the Avatar franchise was walking into a real life Pandora on Earth at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in early 2022. He was blown away and wanted to ride the Na’vi River Journey all day. Since then, I showed him the original film and took him to see the sequel. He enjoyed seeing both, hung the poster in his room, and I love being able to talk about these big, exciting movies with him. 

In Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron moves the story of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) along about fifteen years. They have children and raise them happily within the Na’vi forest. But danger looms as the Sky People return, once again looking to destroy the beautiful world for profit. This time, Jake’s enemy Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is back, his memories uploaded and reincarnated into a new Na’vi body. He and a band of military buddies, also reincarnated into Na’vi people, make it their mission to hunt down Jake. To protect the Na’vi tribe, Jake and his family flee and seek shelter with a new tribe, the Metkayina, who live off a reef. 

But living with the Metkayina brings new challenges for the whole family and could put everyone in danger. The Na’vi are naturally built to climb in the forest, not swim. Their new Metkayina friends have thicker, fin-like tails and other features that help them in their watery home. While Jake and Neytiri learn and work with the leaders of the tribe, their children learn to breathing techniques, swimming and to ride sea creatures with the leader’s children.

It’s refreshing to see so much of this film focusing on the children within this uniquely blended family. The oldest boy, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) feels the weight of responsibility over his siblings and is always there to help his parents. The younger boy, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), feels stuck in his brother’s shadow, and lashes out to prove himself. His chapters with a tulkun, a whale type creature, are especially cool. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) was actually born from Dr. Grace’s avatar body and was adopted by Jake and Neytiri. She’s about fourteen, full of curiosity, questions and seems uniquely attuned to Eywa, the all-mother deity. Spider (Jack Champion) is human, somehow Quaritch’s son and left by the Sky People as a baby. And while Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) is only a young child, you can see all the fierceness of her mother boiling inside her. 

Avatar: The Way of Water is currently nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film is also nominated for best sound, production design and visual effects.I would be surprised if Avatar does not take home the trophy for best visual effects. 

James Cameron made the world wait thirteen years for this sequel, and honestly I did not expect it to be this good. The cynical pessimist in me expected a let down, but I was so happy to be wrong. I genuinely enjoyed the story, the new generation of characters, the gripping action and the aquatic expansion of this beautiful, breathtaking world. For three glorious hours my son and I were transported and immersed back onto Pandora, plunged into the water like never before. Bring on more Avatar sequels, Mr. Cameron. Make your money. Just don’t make us wait so long.

“The way of water has no beginning and no end. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world. The sea is your home, before your birth and after your death. The sea gives and the sea takes. Water connects all things: life to death, darkness to light.”

The Fabelmans

The film opens on a story I’ve heard before in an interview with Steven Spielberg. Outside a movie theater in 1952, people are lined up to see the new Cecil B. DeMille picture, The Greatest Show on Earth. Little Sammy Fabelman (a fictionalized young Spielberg) is apprehensive about seeing his first movie. His parents, Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) build up his confidence, explaining how the projector makes still pictures look like they’re moving and soon little Sammy is witnessing an exciting circus train wreck! It captivates the boy so much he wants a train for Hanukkah. But after he gets the beloved train, he wants to recreate the wreck he saw in the movie. Rather than let him crash the train repeatedly, his mother gives him the brilliant idea to film it once and then he can watch it happen all he likes. What little Sammy films is brilliant and the first step to a long love of film. 

The film allows us to watch Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) grow from a little boy enchanted by the magic he can capture on his family’s little 8mm camera to a teenager assembling a group of friends to act in his latest film projects and editing the film alone in his room. I loved scenes showing Sammy and his friends from Scouts rallying in the desert filming thrilling westerns and epic war movies. Even better are the reactions from family and friends when Sammy premiers his films as part of a scouting project. These young teen years feel like the perfect place for a young filmmaker to learn, grow and just have fun with this craft.

Yet Sam’s father is always calling film making a hobby. Sam knows that it’s more than that. His uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), who makes an unexpected and brief visit, sees Sammy for what he is: an artist. The advice he has for this young artist isn’t all that encouraging, “Art will give you crowns in heaven and laurels on Earth, but also, it will tear your heart out and leave you lonely. You’ll be a shanda for your loved ones. An exile in the desert. A gypsy. Art is no game! Art is dangerous as a lion’s mouth. It’ll bite your head off.” From here out Sammy feels that his art could tear him away from his family, that they will never understand his passion. But does he want a life half lived? He fears that is what his mother, once an accomplished concert pianist, has chosen. Later in the film we see how giving up on dreams may be eating away at her. 

To make such a dramatic film about your own upbringing must have been very daunting to Mr. Spielberg. Like all his films, he handles this family drama with care and compassion. But I imagine this must have taken a good amount of courage to bring to film. Through the up and downs, he is not afraid to show the moments that are less cheery. He doesn’t shy away from hard moments or moments that make one person look bad. But like many family dramas, the parents are just people, flesh and blood, no good guy or bad guy, no angel vs demon. The conflicts are human, delicate, unnerving and yet concrete and tangible. Perhaps it’s a healing process for Mr. Spielberg, to flesh these out in the sacred light of a theater over 50 years later. 

A powerful moment in the film is when Sam is tasked with filming the senior skip day at the beach. He’s the new kid, not popular and picked on by some anti semitic jocks. But picking up the camera again seems to get him out of his late-teen slump. The film he premiers at prom is a hit, showing off the fun in the sun, making some kids look like losers and others look like heroes. I think this is the moment Sam realizes just how much power and influence his movie making can have. At this moment, I think it scares him a bit and makes him realize what responsibility he holds behind the camera. 

Of course this film is a must-see for any Spielberg fan or aspiring filmmaker. With its PG-13 rating mostly built on light cursing and bullying violence, I would let most big kids see this movie if they hold those interests. Seeing another kid working hands on with an old camera and film can be inspiring. The family drama and bullying make this uncomfortable for young children. But I would consider The Fabelmans a great family movie for a film loving family. 

“You do what your heart says you have to. ‘Cause you don’t owe anyone your life. Not even me.”

So I was on a podcast…

Last week a couple old film blogger friends, Ian and Dan, invited me on their podcast. It’s called Cinema in Seconds. The premises is that they each pick a very small moment in a film, then discuss why it’s such a significant moment in the film. Honestly, it’s a fascinating concept for any film fan you’ll enjoy hearing their discussions.

Anyway, they invited me onto their animation episode! I was thrilled and racked my brain on what exactly to discuss. Animation is such a wide genre, the possibilities were endless. In the end, I decided to go with an example of early classic Disney animation, Bambi, and some of the newest and finest examples of stop-motion animation, ParaNorman. We also discussed moments from The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, The Snowman, and Batman and Mr. Freeze: Subzero.

Thanks again to Ian and Dan for the fun opportunity! I had a blast catching up and discussing animation with two great film friends. Listen to the episode below:

The Final Destination Series

Recently, I decided to dive into a horror saga I neglected over the years. The Final Destination films, spanning from 2000 to 2011, each tell a story of a group of people who escape a horrific, multi-casualty accident because one of them sees a premonition of minutes before. In the original, it’s a plane exploding just after take-off, another is a huge interstate pileup. They get more epic down the line. And of course I remember the commercials and previews and as a teen and young adult. Sadly, I wrote them off. Until now. I was captivated and loved the first film so much I couldn’t wait to dive into the sequels. To put it bluntly, The Final Destination movies are a Rube Goldberg machine of death. I can’t look away and I love it. 

#1. Final Destination (2000): I was surprised how much I genuinely enjoyed the first Final Destination film. The element of suspense is used well and the initial plane crash scene is well done and believable. I love that this really establishes the whole “death has a design.” theme for the series. You feel genuine suspense and terror as death creeps closer to each survivor. Maybe it’s the greasy faces, baggy clothes, gravity defying bangs, but I really enjoyed seeing a horror movie with teenage characters that actually looked like the teenagers I grew up with. Favorite death: beheaded by scrap metal. 

#2. Final Destination 2 (2003): This film features the infamous log-truck accident, which is basically what I imagine every time I have to merge onto I-465. Tony Todd (aka, candy man) is back with a great cameo. And I enjoy the cop trying to help the protagonist and the wild array of freak accident deaths. Favorite death: surprise airbag deployment. 

#3. Final Destination 3 (2006): The third movie goes off the rails in every way possible. Literally. A roller coaster accident sets the events in motion. But what makes this movie stand out from the others is that pictures hold the clues to each death. There are lots of crazy, high speed, intense, death scenes. Sometimes it’s a bit over the top. And honestly, this movie is kinda bad, but so bad that it’s good. Still a very fun horror movie. Favorite death: brain sliced apart by a car engine. 

#4. The Final Destination (2009): Ok, I’ll admit, this one is the worst of the bunch, but it’s still enjoyable. I mean, a Nascar race disaster setting everything off? And later one guy gets his guts sucked out of his butthole and spewed all over the public pool? It’s so bad, it’s laughable. And the obvious 3D gags are hilarious. Favorite death: getting diced on the fence. 

#5. Final Destination 5 (2011): As bad as #4 was, I think the creators here for Final Destination 5 knew to pull back on the laughable effects. Here, a bridge collapse sets everything in motion and instead of focusing on teens, it’s a group of young adults. Maybe this is to bring the original 2000 audience back? It works, and one of the big hooks now is that one of the survivors tries to murder his way out. Fun! And honestly, the big twist at the end, pulling the whole series together, makes watching all the movies totally worth it. Favorite death: acupuncture nightmare. 

What really sets the Final Destination series apart from other horror franchise is that instead of relying on a recurring character/monster, it’s a reoccurring chain of horrific freak accidents. And while far fetched or unlikely, we see how these horrifying moments can happen in real life. No two deaths are the same. The blood and gore are not spared. Most adults don’t really worry about Jason or Freddy coming to get them, but now I do genuinely fear log trucks. And nail guns. And rocks being slung by a lawnmower. And escalators. And airbags. And and and….

Bodies Bodies Bodies

In Bodies Bodies Bodies a group of young friends have a hurricane party at their wealthy friend’s parent’s house out in the middle of nowhere. They’re equipped with flashlights, extra batteries, booze and an array of drugs. As the storm sets in and the night heats up, they decide to play a game: Bodies Bodies Bodies. It’s a typical murder mystery party game: one person is the murderer, they pick off victims one by one when alone. But after the power goes out, they find a friend with his throat slit. And soon a murder mystery game becomes a night of survival. 

From the moment Sophie (Amanda Stenberg) and her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova) arrive you can feel the tension suddenly set in. Is it because Sophie didn’t tell them she was coming? Or do they not like Bee? Whatever it is, playing Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn’t help. And of course, finding a dead friend means all the shit hits the fan. We see how fake these friendships are, how much hostility they hold against one another. Eventually anyone left alive is pitted against everyone else to defend themselves against murder accusations. 

At times I found the young women in this movie to be hilariously annoying and tone deaf. But the thing is, I wasn’t sure if that is the joke. Granted, there were maybe 4 other people in the theater at 12:30 on a Tuesday, so I didn’t hear much laughing with me. But much of the time I couldn’t tell if the tone of certain scenes were supposed to be serious or laughable. Anything with Alice (Rachel Snennott) was obviously funny. Alice is a mess. She’s hilarious, matching the bright and loud vibe of her neon glow necklaces and bracelets. The fact that she invites a man that she met on Tinder who is twice her age to this hurricane party is worrying, but how she tells us about him after 2 weeks is “He’s a Libra moon” is hilarious! It tells us all about her priorities. 

At some points, the drama feels like the comradery and betrayals of a teenage sleepover. It’s all fun and games while drinks are flowing, but then the lights go out. The dark gets to you. The lack of communication and cliques that form can be isolating. They turn on each other, bring up shitty moments from their past and poke at small holes in their friendships until they rip apart. It’s an intriguing look at the dark drama of petty young friendships. 

While I enjoyed Bodies Bodies Bodies, I don’t see this film going down in horror movie history in the kindest light. While I think the way it portrays these rich, young people is hilarious, it’s kinda sad and embarrassing. There is so much unnecessary blood and drama over TikToks, pranks, drugs, friendships and relationships that should’ve ended years ago. When the morning light comes and the movie ends, it leaves us laughing at the characters, not with them. 

“Alice I’m literally just protecting myself ok. Let me remind you, our friend is dead. So if you could just like, not escalate the situation”

The Black Phone

The Black Phone hit me hard in my suburban parent gut. The story revolves around a serial kidnapper the kids dubbed The Grabber. In this quiet 1978 suburban town, The Grabber takes tween boys walking alone, or right off their bikes in the middle of their paper route. No one knows what happens to the boys, they just disappear, replaced with missing posters, their faces plastered all over the neighborhood. A creepy story like this is enough to scare any parent, so much so for me that I had an extensive stranger-danger talk with my older boy, complete with a few defensive maneuvers.

After establishing The Grabber, the quaint town, the harsh realities these kids face and the sister’s vague psychic abilities, Finney (Mason Thames) is taken. He comes to in a dark, barren basement, on a grungy bare mattress. There’s a barred window, a toilet, a locked door and a black phone hanging on the wall. Finney tries the phone to call for help, but it is silent. His masked captor, who visits periodically and lingers in a creepy, menacing way, tells him that the phone doesn’t work. Never has. 

But then, once Finney is alone, the phone rings. One of The Grabber’s previous victims is on the other end. They give Finney cryptic advice and share how they tried to escape. Each time the phone rings, it’s a different dead boy, in the order they were taken, trying to help Finney and trying to avenge their own death. During some calls we even see the dead boy talking to Finney, a creepy specter giving this horror movie vital visuals to its supernatural element.

As far as horror movie baddies go, Ethan Hawke’s performance as The Grabber is top notch and one of my favorite performances of his. In Finney’s kidnapping scene, his casual clumsiness disarms the boy so easily, even we’re drawn in a bit. Hawke seems perfectly at home being so casually creepy. One of my favorite moments was when Finney wakes up to find The Grabber just watching him sleep. It can be hard to create a character behind a mask without using it as a crutch, but Hawke does an amazing job working with the mask to enhance his menace. I really hope to find that creepy mask at Spirit Halloween. 

I loved The Black Phone and think it is a great new horror film. It boasts a perfect balance between horrific reality and the scary supernatural. Young Thames’s performance is believable and makes us root for him against Hawke, who gives us a creepy character we love to hate. The perspectives between Finney and his sister round out this movie and perfectly unfold this terrifying mystery until the very end. Add The Black Phone to your spooky season watch list and then never walk alone again.

“Wanna see a magic trick?”

Fire of Love

Fire of Love is an incredibly sweet and intriguing documentary about a volcanologist couple who devoted their lives to studying volcanic eruptions. It’s established early in the film that Katia and Maurice Krafft were killed in the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan. The majority of what the documentary shows us is from their beautiful volcano footage throughout their careers. 

Like all great couples, there is a balance between them. Katia is quieter, more reflective, studying the geological formations up close and trying to find their mysteries through photography and writing. Maurice is more grandiose, documenting the kinetic movement of eruptions and lava flows through film and out in front of cameras promoting their newest books and documentaries. Maurice is also more of a daredevil, at one point taking a second-hand inflatable dinghy out on an acidic lake to collect samples. Katia anxiously stands on the shore, hoping they make it back before the boat springs a catastrophic leak. 

The information presented on volcanoes is minimal, focusing more on spectacular images captured by the Krafft’s, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. While these images may be older, and found on old film reels, they are stunning. The magnificent views of glowing lava, flowing, spewing and burning are amazing and never made me question the quality of the Kraffts camera. And it is heroic how close the Kraffts were willing to get to these active volcanoes, even donning suits to protect them from projectile rocks and lava that look like something out of a 50s B sci-fi movie. 

For me, the real tragedy of this film is not Maurice and Katia’s death, but the fact that they could not spend more of their time on earth in volcanoes. Towards the middle of the film, we are shown their life when they’re not by volcanoes. The fact that there are still bills to pay by writing books or editing film feels so mundane when you’ve been in the beating heart of an active volcano. It’s tragic to think how we all waste so much time on the humdrum money-making tasks just to survive, when we could be out in the fantastic wilds of nature truly living. 

“Alone they could only dream of volcanoes. Together they can reach them.”

Summer 2022 Movies with my Kid

This summer I’ve been utilizing my one on one time with my older son to take him to movies. Don’t worry, that’s not all we do, it would be a boring summer. We also frequent the parks and go roller skating. He’s had fun going to more movies in the last month than he’s been to in the last two years. He is now vaccinated and willing to wear a mask when the theater is more crowded. Hopefully my younger son will be vaccinated and mature enough to join us next year. Anyway, here are the movies I took my kid to see.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

We kicked off the summer in bun-tastic style (Get it…cause Bob’s Burgers is all about those puns!) This was my son’s first PG13 movie in a theater and I think we picked a good one. Like the show, the movie is pretty tame in the violence, sex and language department, so great to take an 8 year old with you. Also like the show, most of the dirty jokes fly right over a kid’s head. The movie itself was fine, the plot was a little recycled from old seasons, but didn’t feel flat it the moment. The one thing that really separates the movie from the show is the choreography. I did not expect so much dancing (of course I expected the singing!) and it did not disappoint. I would love to see footage of what the animators were basing these dance scenes off of, especially the scene in the weird little carnie neighborhood.  3 1/2 out of 5 burgers. Could’ve used more of Tina’s signature awkwardness and sexy zombies. 

Jurassic World Dominion

So when I was eight years old Jurassic Park came out to theaters. I was dying to see it, but my parents thought it would be too scary for me. Honestly, 8 year old me might have flipped out and panicked in the theater during the first t-rex attack, but I still hold a grudge to this day about the injustice of not seeing Jurassic Park in theaters as a child. Anway, here I am nearly 30 years later taking my own 8 year old kid to see Jurassic World Dominion. 

To be critical, JWD was not great. A lot of scenes seemed clunky or unnecessary. At times the dinos looked very fake. Other times Chris Pratt had the range and charisma of a chipped triceratops toenail. However, at times it just felt like Jurassic Park fan fiction put on the big screen and the JP loving dork in me ate that shit up. There were a few terrifyingly enjoyable dino-attack scenes, and I was proud to see my son not afraid of them. If anything scared him, it was those giant locust swarms. Honestly, they kinda freaked me out too. 

Jurassic World Dominion may not be great, but it was a real treat to take my kid to a big dinosaur movie while he’s still young enough to be into it.

Lightyear

Next, we traveled to infinity and beyond with Pixar’s newest film, Lightyear. This week, his father had the day off as well, so it was his first movie out with his father too since Toy Story 4. Besides embarrassing the poor boy as he tripped over people’s legs in the theater, I think it was a successful mission. 

Now honestly, I was a probably more excited to see Lightyear than most moms hitting the theater with their kids. Buzz has easily become my favorite Disney character, so to give him an origin story, a new voice and hair… I was eager but so afraid to be let down. I was not disappointed. Confused at times, my suspension of disbelief hanging my a thread at one point, but not disappointed. Honestly, my fan theory since trailers came out was that Zurg was powered by BuyNLarge and we’d somehow get tied into the WALL-E universe. Spoiler alert, I was wrong. But it was still fun. 

Thor: Love and Thunder

After taking a few weeks away from the movies, we took the kid to see his first big Marvel movie in theaters, Thor: Love and Thunder. There were some moments that I worried might be a little too scary for him (Christian Bale made a very creepy Marvel villain), but he reassured me it was not scary for him at all. We especially loved the moment when all the kids help fight, Thor style. When he got home he made himself a Mjolnir out of paper (he’s very into origami at the moment) and said it was the best movie he’s ever seen! 

Oscar Predictions 2021

Happy Oscar weekend, everyone! Congrats on making it through another harrowing year. I’m so happy to go back to the movie theaters, even if I still wear a mask during the show (except when shoveling popcorn into my mouth).  

Let’s start off with a little game I like to play every year and narrow down the Best Picture nominees to a top five. I believe this year those top five would be…

CODA, The Power of the Dog, Belfast, Westside Story and Nightmare Alley

Anyway, thanks for indulging me. Onto my official Oscar night predictions:

Lead Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch or Will Smith seem tied. I would not mind Andrew Garfield winning, but he seems unlikely. Will Smith for the win.

Lead Actress: Wait, how have I only seen one of these movies? Are movies with brilliant leading women not worthy of Best Picture or something? Ugh, I respectfully pass.

Supporting Actor: I’d love to see Troy Kotsur take this, but he seems like a longshot. 

Supporting Actress: Kirsten Dunst. Nuf said. 

Director: I would love to see Jane Campion win this, but as long as it’s not Paul Thomas Anderson I’ll be ok.

Original Screenplay: Belfast

Adapted Screenplay: CODA

Cinematography: All of the nominees are beautifully filmed in their own spectacular fashion, it’s hard to pick a winner. My dark side wants Nightmare Alley, but I’m guessing the Academy will pick The Power of the Dog here.

Film Editing: I think King Richard excels here. 

Production Design: I think Dune is destined to win this one, even over my beloved Nightmare Alley.

Costume Design: My black little Disney heart would love to see Cruella take this, but I think it will go to Dune. 

Best Sound: West Side Story

Makeup and Hairstyling: I didn’t see all of these….so why not Cruella. 

Original Score: I think Hans Zimmer is well overdue for another win. Dune. 

Original Song: As much as I’d like to see Lin Manuel Miranda EGOT, I think they chose the wrong song to submit. They would have won with We Don’t Talk About Bruno. Belfast and Van Morrison for the win. 

Visual Effects: I was honestly very impressed with Shang Chi’s effects, so I say they’ll upset Dune here.

Documentary Feature: Flee

Animated Feature: I will lose my f*cking shit if The Mitchells vs the Machines loses this one! I wish it were up for best picture. Anyway, Disney is playing it too safe lately and needs to up their game when we’ve got amazing, fun and visually creative movies like this. 

International Feature Film: I think Drive My Car is pretty much a given here.

Best Picture: I really didn’t care which movie won this, until I saw CODA. Now I will be crushed if anything else wins. I want just a simple, sweet, heartwarming story about ordinary people to win. Is that so hard? But honestly, as long as it’s not Dune or Licorice Pizza I’ll get over it. CODA for the big win!

CODA

The title CODA is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. The film follows Ruby (Emilia Jones) as she navigates her senior year of high school. She wakes up before dawn to help her dad and brother on their fishing boat, being the only one that can hear the radio. She often falls asleep in class and she joins the school choir, possibly because a certain boy signs up for it too. After stumbling to find her confidence in choir, her teacher, Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) discovers that Ruby has a natural talent for singing and offers to coach her in hopes of getting into Berklee school of music. Ruby struggles to juggle her music rehearsals with her family needing her. 

I love the mother-daughter relationship shown in this film. Ruby’s mother, Jackie (Marlee Matlin) asks “If I been blind would you want to paint?” She wonders if this love of music is just a form of teenage rebellion. Later she also confesses that she hoped Ruby would be deaf as well, so that they could be closer. This is a very heartfelt and sweet conversation where she tells her daughter that she was afraid being deaf would make her a bad mom. 

Ruby is often put in awkward, embarrassing and hilarious situations being the only hearing person in her family. Her father, Frank (Troy Kotsur), blasts music when he picks her up from school, saying “I love rap music, my whole ass is vibrating.” In an early scene we see Ruby interpreting her father’s sign language to a doctor. Her father vigorously signs the symptoms of his jock itch, Ruby tones it down for the doctor, clearly embarrassed. Later in the film, she and the boy are practicing their duet, only to be interrupted by the sound of Ruby’s parents having sex, clearly unaware of how loud they are. 

While this film has very funny moments, the reality about the family’s situation is often tender. Ruby confesses that children used to make fun of how she talked when she was younger, a wound that stifles her confidence in choir, but I love the way Mr. V uses this information to help Ruby. At times the family seems to use Ruby as a crutch, relying on her too much. They expect her to be the interpreter for an interview with the local news, causing her to miss rehearsal and wearing Mr. V’s patience thin. And the one time Ruby isn’t on the fishing boat is when her father and brother needed a hearing person the most. 

At it’s heart, CODA is about a family navigating two worlds at once. Ruby loves music and would be a fool not to try to get into Berkely. But she has never done anything without her family and fears leaving them could be detrimental. The moment during the choir performance where we see everything from Frank’s perspective, no sound, but seeing how everyone around him is moved by his daughter’s singing is eye opening and beautiful. He realizes just how special his daughter’s musical ability is and that moment in the truck where he feels Ruby singing moved me to tears. Later, Ruby signing as she sings was absolutely beautiful.

CODA is nominated for only three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and adapted screenplay. Troy Kotsur is nominated for supporting actor in his wonderful role as Ruby’s father. I would love to see him win, I’m sure he would sign a wonderful acceptance speech. I’m personally saddened that Sian Heder was not nominated for director. I think the tone and her vision for this wonderful film should be acknowledged. 

I love that films have become so much more inclusive, telling stories of women, people of color, the disabled and other minorities. Between last year’s Sound of Metal and now CODA I hope to see more great movies about the deaf community, it will only help the world to be inclusive and understanding. I sometimes worry that stories about normal, working class people with disabilities leading ordinary lives are often overlooked and maybe that is what makes CODA so extraordinary. 

“Let them figure out how to deal with deaf people. We’re not helpless”