“CODA,” a critical favorite on Apple TV +, will go down in history as the streaming film that carried off the Academy’s most prestigious award, beating out Netflix and Amazon despite their long-time efforts for years and millions of dollars spent campaigning.
Netflix was also in the running for the best picture prize with its film “The Power of the Dog,” but it was only able to bring home the award for Best Director for Jane Campion.
CODA revolves around Ruby (played by Emilia Jones), a 17-year-old girl who is the only hearing member of a deaf family — a CODA (a hearing kid of deaf parents). Her life centers on serving as a bridge for her parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur) to the hearing world and working with her father and elder brother (Daniel Durant) on the family’s struggling fishing boat every day before school. However, not until Ruby joins her high school’s choral club does she discover her natural talent for singing and quickly develops feelings for her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo).
Buoyed up to go to a top music school by her ardent, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez), Ruby is stuck between her family’s obligations and pursuing her own passions. Kevin Chapman and Amy Forsyth were also in the cast.
The movie made history in other ways as well. “CODA” is the first film to win Best Picture that has a majority of Deaf cast members in main roles; Troy Kotsur is the first Deaf male actor to win Best Supporting Actor, and writer and director Siân Heder received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the very first time.
Apple TV+ is now streaming “CODA“.
