CODA

Please forgive me for taking this opportunity to continue my rant against Don't Look Up.  I think you will find that it serves a purpose, and is ultimately part of my review of CODA.  Back in the olden days of the '80s and '90s we had a term for movies that were made-for-TV, we called them "made-for-TV", and with that term came a certain amount of disdain.  Perhaps there were some made-for-TV movies that edged close to being worthy of a theatrical release, but I challenge you to name one with a straight face.  Thanks to Netflix we live in a time where all* movies are made-for-TV, and we are all suffering consequences:  In 2019 Scorsese made The Irishman for Netflix, which suffered certain made-for-TV issues; I'm referring in part to special effects that may have been acceptable on a relatively small screen, but did not translate well to the movie theater, and definitely detracted from the overall film.  The previously mentioned Don't Look Up is filled with so many made-for-TV elements that it almost felt like the people making the movie must have done it intentionally.  One scene in particular stood out, which clearly utilized a handheld digital video camera, with no cinematic explanation.  I have to imagine that the cameraman was told "just hold it really steady, and maybe no one will notice".  Then there's the scene where a multitude of rocket ships were launched, which looks like it were created by half-baked film students in Blender.  All of these criticisms are meant to set the groundwork for a compliment that I have for CODA, even though it was released on Apple TV, it is a wonderful film with lots of heart.  I could take the same approach that I used in my recent review of Belfast, and simply list things that I liked about the film, but instead I will describe a scene that I believe is representative of the overall film.  The main character of the film is a high school girl named Ruby, and she likes a high school guy named Miles.  The two have been paired-up to sing a duet together, and were practicing at her house one afternoon, when they encountered a particularly embarrassing situation.  The next day at school, she realized that word of the encounter has spread like wildfire, and she's understandably upset.  What happens next is what makes the film special, Miles chases her down, and apologizes.  More than that, he reveals that he has always admired and respected Ruby, recounting a specific memory from their childhood that has left a lasting impression.  What makes this scene, and the overall film, special is that the emotions of the characters are earned.  Most movies are content with characters who are "in love" because they're the best looking people in the movie, or they're the two characters who happen to be in focus.  CODA is about the relationships between its characters, and since they're kind, interesting, and passionate, it's actually enjoyable to watch.

*While not technically true, it makes the sentence more compelling.