CODA: two children of Deaf adults give their perspective on the Sundance prize-winner

An English-language remake of the French comedy-drama La Famille Bélier (2014), Sian Heder’s CODA arrives in the UK with four Sundance prizes to its name. Set in coastal Massachusetts, it gives a rare glimpse into the experience of CODAs, children raised by one or more Deaf adults, who often find themselves negotiating both hearing and Deaf worlds. At its centre is teenager Ruby Rossi (Brit Emilia Jones), a CODA whose singing ambitions put her at odds with the rest of her family.

Heder, who wrote seasons of Orange Is the New Black before making her debut feature in 2015 with Tallulah, learned American Sign Language in order to write her script, much of it being in ASL. She also made it a priority to cast Deaf actors in the Deaf roles. “Deafness is not a costume you can put on,” she told the BBC. “And there are so many aspects to that culture and experience you can’t play, unless you’ve lived it.” The mother is played by Marlee Matlin, the only Deaf actress ever to win the best actress Oscar, for Children of a Lesser God in 1987.

But did efforts such as these give the film a feeling of authenticity for real-life children of Deaf adults? Ahead of the film’s release in the UK and Ireland, we asked two British CODAs for their insights into the film – what it gets right or wrong, and what they recognised from their own experience.

Sam Wigley

The overall narrative arc of CODA, of a teenager torn between two worlds, ultimately finding her voice and falling in love, is nothing unusual for this kind of feel-good movie. And some of the plot devices that drive the story forward are unsubtle; Ruby, the hearing child from a Deaf family wants nothing more than to sing, and she has to choose between supporting her struggling working-class family and going to the big city to study.

But, scratch the surface, and this conventional package smuggles through a story of emotional depth, cultural sensitivity and honesty. I both enjoyed it, and found it at times emotionally hard to watch. 

One of the recurrent themes throughout CODA is the repeated exclusion and isolation of Ruby’s family from the hearing people around them, in scenes on the dock, in the bar, on their boat with the catch inspector, in Ruby’s school, etc. Look closely in those scenes, watch how the Deaf family members’ body language and facial expressions change when they are being or feeling excluded. Now imagine the impact of those repeated experiences over a lifetime, on them, and on Ruby. 

Growing up, my hearing grandparents, with whom my mother and I lived, could not sign at all, and my mother – their daughter – could only communicate through sign language.

Just take a moment to think about that – about the experience of that for my mother, and for me. Every day of my childhood conversations happened in my home that actively excluded my mother, unless I chose to interpret between them. Perhaps it’s understandable then that I’m particularly sensitive to seeing people being excluded, and I found these scenes of the film almost too hard to watch. 

It was clear that Ruby did not completely identify with the hearing world, but she is also not Deaf. As a CODA I recognised that sense of being in two worlds, but not fully part of either. When I was a child my mum would regularly rant to me about “hearing people” (often after she had been excluded, or treated as if she was stupid rather than Deaf), but when I would remind her that I am hearing, she would simply look at me and say “not you”. To her, and to me, I am not hearing, or Deaf, I am a CODA. In the film the collision of those worlds, especially around conversations that are taboo for hearing people, but which are not for Deaf people, were beautifully played out.

I really enjoyed the film showing such a creative use of sign language, which showcased the richness inherent in the language. I loved the insults Ruby and her brother playfully cast at one another, and the dad’s epic description when asking Ruby to practice safe sex. The characters’ pride in their language shone through.

I’m really pleased they made this film, which, while not flawless, still captures so many aspects of a Deaf/CODA family life.

• Darren Townsend-Handscomb is a CODA and BSL/English interpreter, the proud son of a Deaf mum (who in the 1960s was the first Deaf woman in the UK to get an Equity card).

As a child of Deaf adults (CODA) with two Deaf British Sign Language (BSL)-using parents, when I heard the film CODA was being released, I couldn’t wait to see it, although I did feel some apprehension as to how we would be portrayed. The film features Deaf actors, but I wasn’t sure what the CODA input was, so I hoped the film would show an authentic experience of what it is like to grow up with Deaf parents. The film does not disappoint. 

Of course, not every CODA will have the same experiences of growing up in a Deaf family, and different parts of the film will resonate. The film has some parts that really connected with me, with some touching and raw moments, and I appreciated the subtle incorporations of Deaf culture. I was glad to see reflections of ordinary family interactions with its warmth, disagreements and humour; that to be a part of a Deaf household is like any other. 

Being a CODA you are a part of both the hearing and the Deaf world. Although the film does not showcase the Deaf community, it exists, and it is a close-knit community that I have very fond childhood memories of: a place where you do not feel like a CODA but just like any other child. It was in the hearing world that I felt the weight of responsibility – a strong theme that appears in the film and something that resonated with how I felt as a teenager. The film shows the everyday barriers to communication that Deaf people face and the marginalisation they experience within society. This struck a chord for me, as this was why I would often feel responsible for my parents’ inclusion in any interactions; when, in reality, my parents didn’t want me to shoulder that.

Another strong theme in the film is music, and it tries to show the struggle that CODAs can feel straddling two worlds that don’t fully understand each other’s cultural norms and values; for example, music can mean everything to hearing people, but it doesn’t necessarily hold the same significance for Deaf people. 

In the movie Ruby wants to share her passion for singing with the people she loves, and although this journey was at times awkward to watch, I was pleased that the film eventually demonstrated a beautiful way that the two worlds could be connected for her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and it has done a good job of conveying aspects of the CODA experience that I certainly found relatable. I am glad that viewers will get a window into another world. 

• Debbie Lawrence, CODA, BSL interpreter