CODA was a special contender in this year’s Oscar race. Equal parts feel-good movie and tearjerker, the Sian Heder-directed film follows Ruby, a teenage child of deaf adults, as the title abbreviates. Played by Locke & Key’s Emilia Jones, she’s the only hearing person in her deaf family and helps with their fishing business, but becomes torn when she wants to pursue her passion for music.
While Jones gives a fantastic performance, Troy Kotsur, who plays Ruby’s father, Frank, is the standout. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, making history as the first male deaf actor to win an Academy Award. He’s the second deaf actor to win an Oscar (and be nominated) following Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), who stars opposite him in CODA as Ruby’s mother Jackie.
“This is dedicated to the Deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community,” Kotsur signed during his Oscars acceptance speech. “This is our moment.”
CODA went on to take home Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay too. It’s the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to win Best Picture. It’s also the first one distributed by a streaming service to win the top Oscar prize, according to The New York Times. (CODA first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival then got a wide release on Apple TV+.)
Jones previously opened up to ELLE about her experience on CODA. “To be deaf is so much more than sign language—it’s an experience that no hearing person can ever fully understand,” she said. “That’s what I love about acting: You can play different characters, go to places you would never normally go, and meet people that you wouldn’t normally meet.”
Where can I watch it online?
CODA began streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ on Aug. 13, 2021 and is still available on the platform. That said, it’s only accessible if you have a subscription, which costs $4.99 per month after a seven-day free trial.
This story has been updated.
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