Hello film fans, it’s Slick Dungeon. This week is Oscar week and since I am a total and complete unabashed cinephile I am going to do my best to review as many of the best Oscar nominees as I can. These reviews are in no particular order they just happen to be the ones I’ve seen most recently. The first one up is CODA. Be warned for these reviews will contain some mild spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie go watch it first and come back here if you care about spoilers.

CODA is about Ruby Rossi, a child of deaf adults. She lives in a fishing community in Gloucester, Maine with her parents and her brother who is also deaf. Because the rest of her family are deaf, Ruby is often called upon to interpret for her family, even when it may not be convenient for her. She also loves to sing. This is hard for her family to understand since they can’t hear her voice.

The plot of the film revolves around Ruby struggling to have her own life, outside of her family. She connects with her choir teacher Mr. Villalobos who wants to mentor her. Ruby has to contend with life, friends, and her family struggling to make a living in a very difficult industry mostly populated by those who can hear.

I don’t want to give too much away but the film is reminiscent of a number of sports films. Still, the movie has a lot of heart. And the soundtrack here is top notch. On top of that, Emilia Jones who plays Ruby has quite the set of pipes and has a great turn here playing the character.

I would say this film is an Oscar worthy nominee. And it’s really nice to see a film portray the deaf community in a real way without oversimplifying or ignoring the unique issues in that community.

If you like films that will lift you up by the end but might make you cry a little (I’m not crying, you’re crying) this is a great choice. We’ll see how it holds up compared to the other nominees but either way this one is a film worthy of watching.

Awarding-ly yours,

Slick Dungeon