'CODA': One bittersweet coming-of-age tale

The coming-of-age movie genre isn't exactly new territory, but "CODA" finds a way to put a new spin on the category. While the story still offers up a somewhat angsty and shy teenager for viewers to observe, that main character also lives with a mother, father and brother who are all deaf.

Sian Heder serves as writer and director for this family drama, and she brings a steady hand to a story that is equal parts laughter and emotional weight.

"CODA" follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a girl who finds herself translating for her family everywhere she goes. The family runs a fishing business, and that means she's up at 3 a.m. out on the boat to haul in the daily catch with her father and brother, then negotiating prices from a low-paying market. It's clear her family nickels and dimes everything they can, and the system is stacked against them.

Ruby is easily embarrassed, having spent most of her life being laughed at by cruel classmates, save her one true friend, Gertie (Amy Forsyth). She initially joins her high school choir after a boy she has a crush on signs up. But secretly, she has a passion for singing. And since her family can't hear her, she can practice whenever she wants without anyone hearing her.

The way Jones plays Ruby is similar to Emma Stone in "Easy A." She's bold when she has to be and sassy in the way only a teenage girl can be. But she has heart and makes for a protagonist most people won't be able to help but root for.

Her father, Frank (Troy Kotsur), is a grizzled fisherman who loves to ''listen'' to loud gangster rap so he can feel the vibrations, something most folks wouldn't expect from a blue-collar white fisherman in small-town Massachusetts. He's also very expressive and graphic with his word choices via signing.

There's a hilarious scene where he's at the doctor complaining about his genitals being itchy, and Ruby has to translate. As he signs, his embarrassed daughter has to sign (and translate) for the doctor to understand.

But Ruby gets a little revenge. When the doctor says Frank can't have sex for two weeks, Ruby tells him the doctor said he has to remain celibate forever. This dry humor just drips from "CODA," and gives the audience levity, which it'll need for some of the more dramatic moments down the road.

Where Frank is a man's man with a rated-R sense of humor, Ruby's mother, Jackie (Marlee Matlin) is a very sensible accountant. And while Matlin plays the role perfectly, some audience members may find themselves most frustrated with her character, as for most of the film she's not a great mother.

She's immediately dismissive of Ruby's interests in choir and selfish about needing her daughter's free labor. Jackie asks, "If I was blind, would you want to paint?" She also schedules an interview with a TV crew for a story on their family without alerting Ruby and causes her to miss an important music lesson, which the protagonist needs for her college auditions.

When Jackie discovers Ruby wants to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, her reactions are horrific for a parent. She says things like, "We can't let her go," and "What if she can't sing? What if she's awful?" Jackie adds that Ruby wanting to go to college after high school is "bad timing" as the family just started a new business, like that's somehow expected to derail Ruby's plans. Children are expected to do chores and help out the family, but far too much is piled onto Ruby's plate, and it's suffocating at times.

Ruby has a brother named Leo (Daniel Durant), who grows frustrated that Jackie pins all the family's hopes on Ruby and refuses to give him a chance with the family business, even though he can read lips.

One of the most brilliant things about "CODA" is Heder cast actors who are actually deaf to play these family roles, layering in authenticity. It almost gives the movie a head start in believability, not to mention the diversity it brings for deaf actors in film.

There are so many little things in "CODA" that are different for Ruby and her family. When Ruby argues with her selfish mother, she doesn't raise her voice. Her body jolts as she signs with fury. And when Leo gets upset that his mother doesn't have faith in him, his body also jolts, but little hisses also escape as he signs. Frank makes the most sounds when he gestures excitedly or passionately, arguing for better fish prices.

But the hearing characters change how they interact with the family, too. When Gertie wants to flirt with Leo at a bar, she doesn't know how to sign, so she playfully grabs his phone, puts in her number, and they text standing three feet apart, gazing into each other's eyes.

Ruby also has a wonderfully expressive music teacher named Mr. V. (Eugenio Derbez) who may seem like a prima donna at first but actually reveals himself to be a wonderful teacher. And the way he sticks by Ruby and pushes her to get out of her shell and follow her dreams makes him one of the most likable characters in "CODA."

The best parts of "CODA" are the heartfelt moments, in particular, Ruby singing for her father in the bed of his pickup truck while he presses his fingers to her neck to feel the vibrations of her music. Even if he can't hear her in the way most of us would, he still hears her in his own beautiful way. It's a scene that should stick with everyone for a long time.

The film opens today in theaters and on Apple TV+.