In 2022, I watched a lot of good movies, including dont look up and tick tick boom, two movies that I like very much, and even said that they can compete for my favorite movie. However, when I watched CODA, it became my favorite movie of 2022 without a doubt, and probably my favorite of all movies so far. Maybe because it's more human. I'm not a scientist or a politician or a people facing the end of the world in dont look up, nor am I a musical genius like Jonathon Larson. But there's no question that I, like Ruby, have a family that loves me very much and is different. The difference is that Ruby's family is a little more special.
CODA tells the story of the Rossi family, who was congenitally deaf, and the protagonist's youngest daughter, Ruby, who is the only normal hearing person, in pursuit of her musical dream. Due to the particularity of the family, Ruby has little contact with music, so that listening to songs with headphones at home will be banned. But perhaps rebellious, perhaps innate, Ruby is obsessed with music. In the beginning, Ruby decided to join the school chorus just because of the boy she had a crush on. But then, Ruby met the man of her life, her music teacher, who could discover her talent. The film then follows Ruby's choice between her family and her dreams. When I saw Ruby's decision to join the chorus, the first thing I expected was how she would succeed in the chorus at the end (classic movie curve). Then had to be convinced by director Sian Heder's ideas and skills. Ruby's choice means that her family can't really understand her thoughts, motivations, and even the most touching moments, and they can't share them with the people they love and closest. When I saw the first half of the movie, I began to marvel at the ingenuity and bravery of the director's choice, and I was extremely curious about how he would deal with such a story. At the end of the film, there is no doubt that he succeeded, more than I could have imagined. In the past, when I saw a good movie, at the end, I would have a sense of mission that urged me to cry. But CODA, in a certain scene at the end of the film, I almost shed tears without warning.
I really hope that seeing this, you can stop reading right now and go see this movie. But if you choose to keep listening to my crap, I'd be equally grateful. The work that appeals to me may be epic graphics or powerful music. But what fascinates me the most is the compelling story and the characters that I can relate to. Compared with Hollywood blockbusters, CODA obviously lacks the epic sense of a movie, but this may also be deliberately done by the director, giving the audience a feeling of being close to life. The above is the only flaw in the whole movie, and this little flaw may also be reflected by the director. CODA tells a perfect story on a difficult subject. In terms of characters, the director only needs one picture, and I immediately feel that this is not a movie character, but a family with flesh and blood. When the Rossi family picked up their youngest daughter Ruby from school for the first time, the father was playing deafening car music. Thinking of the Chinese translation of the movie, I raised a question at the time, who are these people who are deaf? In the previous picture, Ruby had a normal conversation with friends, but when the family was together, everyone would sign language at the same time. Then I understood that this was the family's clumsy way of expressing their love for Ruby. They understand how difficult it is for their daughter as an extremely special family. "With great power comes great responsibility." As the only "normal" member of the family, Ruby shoulders the burden of the family at all times. Not only do I have to help family members with the necessary verbal communication, but when I finally find my life goal, I cannot get the understanding and support of my family. People can't understand the beauty of things that they can't reach, even screaming in their ears. However, even with a seemingly insurmountable gap, the great love of the family can easily dissolve it. At the end of the film, when the family sits in the audience watching Ruby perform, the director deliberately eliminates all music, allowing us to truly appreciate what the world of the Russel family has been like for decades. Parents can only watch other people's expressions and behaviors nervously under the stage to speculate on how their daughter's performance is, but they always pay attention to the stage for fear of missing a second of their daughter.
However, I love my brother's character in the movie more than my parents. As the only strong man in the family, the older brother was supposed to take care of all the family members, at least until Ruby was born. However, after Ruby was born, everything changed. As soon as she got older, Ruby took up most of the household duties. Helping family with necessary business communications and being a real-time interpreter for outsiders when they come to the house. However, as the eldest son of the family, my brother is not happy. He couldn't bear to watch his little sister do the responsibilities that he should have assumed, but he could only feel a deep sense of powerlessness and just let it go. When Ruby finally found her dream and wanted to leave home to fight for it, she was met with opposition from her parents. "Without you, our business can't go on." "Then my own life is not important." "We can't do it without you." At this time, my brother felt incomparable anger and self-blame, and kept emphasizing that I could To support this family, you don't need to sacrifice your little sister. Due to his father's willfulness and dereliction of duty at times, his brother actually played more of a father's role. He really wanted Ruby to be happy, but he felt powerless because of himself.
At the end of the film, my brother said, "Why do we sacrifice ourselves to integrate into them, if they want to deal with us, they should learn sign language by themselves." I was surprised by this because I was subconsciously thinking about the loss of their family until this moment. How exactly Ruby will fit into other people. But maybe it's not them who should be integrated, isn't it? Everyone is a member of the community in the environment, why should one party sacrifice himself unilaterally to integrate into the other party? In fact, we are all "most normal people", and we often ignore what we do because we are part of a large group. "Ah, that's what everyone does anyway, and even if I make a change myself, it won't bring much happiness to the entire planet."
Please go to CODA, even if you are not a movie lover, it is definitely worth spending a little of your precious time to see.
View more about CODA reviews
