CODA Wins Big at the Academy Awards
With the Academy Awards, so much comes down to the timing.
CODA did not receive the most Academy Award nominations in the re-expanded 10-wide Best Picture field; it actually received the least with three. However, the discourse and the longer nature of the awards season set it up in the final few weeks to be an ideal Best Picture winner.
Troy Kotsur was long-predicted to be the winner in Best Supporting Actor. Once enough eyes got on the film, his commanding performance as Frank Rossi, the deaf father of a hearing child who discovers a passion for singing, quickly became a lock for the award.
The film itself is beautifully made. The story is great and it stands out for being a far more optimistic story in a field largely dominated by more serious, grim, or satirical fare. King Richard held on for so long in the Best Picture race for being another very well made, more positive film. I’m hesitant to use the word “inspiring” when it come to Best Picture nominees, but those two films are perhaps a bit more hopeful.
The difference between the two is the discussion around King Richard focused on Will Smith’s now Oscar-winning performance as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. CODA began to get a lot of attention for the film as a complete work.
The surprise with CODA was not the Best Picture nomination but writer/director Sian Heder being nominated for Adapted Screenplay. CODA is adapted from La Famille Bélier, a French-Belgian film from 2014. Heder’s screenplay and direction create a very different experience from the original film that still feels true to the story of a CODA (child of deaf adult) coming of age.
The bigger films in the Best Picture race, namely The Power of the Dog, Belfast, Licorice Pizza, West Side Story, and Don’t Look Up all had their moments where it felt like they could win. The Power of the Dog held on the longest, with Belfast getting the original indie excitement. West Side Story and Licorice Pizza both peaked when the nominations were being voted on and Don’t Look Up dominated the discussion shortly before voting started.
CODA peaked during the actual voting. More people got eyes on the film because of its inclusion in the Best Picture category. It stands out so much in voice, tone, and perspective that it was bound to draw in fans.
Best Picture is voted on with a preferential ballot. The final voting tallies are never revealed, but it’s entirely possible for a film to win by being near the top of the ballots. As films are eliminated in the voting for not being among the top vote getters, the ballots are looked at again for their second choice, third choice, etc. until a film is clearly the winner. CODA clearly had a lot of love from the Academy and Hollywood with its big wins at the Oscars, SAG, and the Screen Writers Guild Awards. I could see it being ranked number one or two on a lot ballots.
This is not meant to diminish this honor for CODA at all. It’s a monumental victory for representation of the deaf community. Troy Kotsur is the first deaf man to win an Oscar, sharing the screen with Marlee Matlin, the first and only deaf woman to be nominated for and win an Oscar. The film is filled with excellent representation of deaf and CODA actors and the cast has consistently praised Sian Heder’s work to bring the entire cast and production crew together to tell an honest story about a deaf family.
Hopefully Hollywood takes note and invests in more stories about and actually starring deaf and disabled people. All too often, members of these actual communities are pushed to the side in supporting or featured roles if they even get a chance to be cast at all. The greater entertainment industry tends to see a box being checked off when a performer like Marlee Matlin or Ali Stoker (the Tony Award-winning actress from the Oklahoma revival who literally had to wait in the wings because the stage was not wheelchair accessible from the audience) wins a major award and then turns away to cast an able-bodied actor with a big name the next time a story about disability comes around.
While I had predicted The Power of the Dog to win, I’m glad CODA came out on top. The fact is I prefer CODA as a film. I enjoyed it more. I see myself rewatching CODA in the future, rather than being satisfied with only one viewing of most of the other nominees. My biggest regret this awards season is waiting so long to sit down and watch this film.
CODA is available to stream on Apple TV.
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