Wholistic Unity: CODA

When I was planning this post, for my last ritual of the day, it was going to start with:

This is my mother’s desk. It’s the desk which still sits in her room, which is now the guest room. It’s the desk she wrote on, painted on and even read on. Putting down her cup of tea in pauses, as she did so.

I would have continued how it was the first day of the Navaratris today, Guddi Padwa and all the other names the first day of Navratri is called/ known by/ represents- names which I don’t remember, having lost practicing the rituals and other observations over the years. A practice she cherished and waited for eagerly, every six months.

This morning, when I realized the significance of the day, I thought it’s a good day to begin writing my blog posts again, and to persist. Hopefully. Not fall off the wagon. That was the intention.

However, I forget what it was that I had originally planned to write about, because the evening turned events around swiftly and most unexpectedly.

We decided to watch CODA after dinner. It’s available on Apple TV and won the Oscar for Best Picture this year.

CODA is an acronym for ‘child of deaf adults’. While I knew the movie was about deaf people, that was all I knew. I had no clue of the Music connection. While Music is a big part of the movie, it doesn’t stake a claim to being the star. That right remains with the British actress Emilia Jones, who is the CODA in the film, a character named Ruby Rossi.

The theme of Music asserts itself in all the subtle references and nuances, including a reference to David Bowie passing judgment on Bob Dylan’s voice. The music teacher then calls her ‘Bob,’ which was such a fine nuance, that it’s possible to miss it if you’re not paying attention to the dialogue.

After a very long time, I cried. Not one to see many movies anyway, I was absolutely and very pleasantly surprised that CODA showcased one of my favorite songs, Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

I was thrilled to hear snatches of the song in the earlier part of Ruby’s musical journey. That they would choose it, was a very happy moment for me, and I thought the director must have copious amounts of sensitivity to choose this perfectly complimenting, off the beaten track type of song in a 2020’s movie.

However, it’s in the audition scenes that the song totally shines, and makes the movie’s heartbeat reverberate and uplift it’s core to new heights. The movie does as much justice to the song, as the song does to the movie. And, they’ve used the full song. My tears refused to hold back and after several lip quivering moments, I let the tears flow. Later, even thinking about it, made me want to cry.

Every word of the song scratches the surface to expose what the words so eloquently express. In those moments of the audition, “Both Sides Now” defines all sides of Ruby’s relationships with everyone who matters to her, and she emotes beautifully. She speaks the two languages simultaneously, expressing profoundly in both languages, which are like Ruby’s two nervous systems in her psyche.

I’m afraid my words cannot do it justice. You have to see it. Some moments will just blow you away. The relationships have been powerfully explored and expressed dramatically and subtlety as and when required.

CODA emphatically claims that the power of love and duty can sometimes clash.

Overall, the movie has well earned it’s Oscar.

Veenu Banga

April 1-2 2022

12:52 am

PS:The audition: https://youtu.be/qlTEAXcKssg

Here, just the song: https://youtu.be/-vbraa31zNI