Marlee Matlin has won an Oscar, been nominated on numerous occasions for an Emmy, and has a Golden Globe under her belt. She is a campaigner against domestic abuse, an activist for the Deaf community and has forged an eclectic career in television and on film. CODA takes that passion and applies to a subject which is close to her heart, exploring it with sensitivity, pathos and consideration.
Sian Heder’s film is about breaking down barriers, educating audiences and sharing moments between family members. Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durrant and Emilia Jones form the backbone of a movie which centres on relationships and essential life lessons. That the family concerned are almost all deaf is irrelevant.
In a recent conversation with Martin Carr, Marlee Matlin sat down to discuss her involvement with the film, and what makes CODA so special. Watch the interview here…
Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family – a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her life revolves around acting as interpreter for her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) and working on the family’s struggling fishing boat every day before school with her father and older brother (Daniel Durant). But when Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez) to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams.
CODA is in cinemas and available through AppleTV+ from August 13th.
