I must’ve watched a different film from everyone else, cause this was fine, not a best picture winner.
On the surface this film could’ve been fantastic (and one I should’ve ate up), a coming-of-age film focusing on a story that rarely gets told in any media, showcasing the complex family dynamics that come from having a CODA, and the pressures and struggles that child faces. And yes that’s the story this film tries to tell but god the execution is netflix romcom level bad, let alone an Academy award level film.
Before I get into the criticisms I had with the film I do want to note that the film is an incredible step forward in representation of the deaf community in film. It’s also a huge achievement for independent films, with it being an idependently financed film, and to see a film like that beat out all of the other studio financed films is such a powerful message that amazing films don’t have to come from huge studios.
All the technical elements in the film are subpar, there’s nothing special, or anything that truly stands out. That doesn’t mean the film is automatically bad, it just doesn’t help elevate it if the other parts are weak. Unfortunately, there are other weak parts. The acting is all over the place. In moments, it’s actually quite compelling then the next scene has some of the most over-the-top acting that is so jarring, the characters start to feel like caricatures not real people.
Everything just felt so on-the-nose, nothing surprising happened, every story beat was predictable. And while that isn’t inherently bad, the film has to execute these plot points well for the film to have any sort of impact. The romance was lacklustre and unbelieveable, the teacher dynamic felt like a slapstick comedy, not the emotional story that it’s meant to be and the school scenes were awful.
A massive nitpick I had with the film was that the costumes of characters were inconsistent with the story of the film. Characters would be dressed one way and then a few days would go by and they’d be dressed the same way. I get that it would’ve been easier for the production and scheduling of scenes but it was an indication of lazy direction.
The saving grace of this film were the family scenes, they were well-written, in comparison to the rest of the film, and had an emotional heart to them (yes I cried like a baby when she started signing at the end). That is the reason I think this film is getting acclaim, the ending is getting people emotional and they’re absolving the film of all its subpar elements.
I don’t agree with the main criticism the film has garnered from those who don’t enjoy it, that Ruby is an unlikable character and focusing on her problems belittles those of her family’s. That her character is whiny and and she should stop feeling like she’s oppressed cause compared to her family, her problems are far worse. I actually think the way that they handled Ruby feeling isolated and out of place in her own family was beautiful, albiet not subtle at all. It’s still a story that doesn’t get told and it deserves to, however I do wish it was more nuanced.
The film missed the mark on telling an emotionally resonant story that hasn’t been told before, which is disappointing since the base story is great. The execution and technical aspects of the film let it down however, alongside most of the characters being superfulous and having only surface level character development. There’s some touching scenes in here but this shouldn’t have been Best Picture winner.
★★1/2
