Is Hollywood finally changing? In 1987, Marlee Matlin made history by becoming the first (and still only) deaf actor to win an Oscar, picking up best actress for Children of a Lesser God. This year Matlin is not nominated, but her film Coda is up for three awards: best picture; best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor for her co-star and on-screen husband, the deaf actor Troy Kotsur (he’s the leading contender after trousering the Bafta on Sunday).
On paper, Coda doesn’t look like a gamechanger. It’s a familiar-feeling, coming-of-age indie about 17-year-old high school senior Ruby (played by British newcomer Emilia Jones), a talented singer from a tightknit family. Ruby is torn between dreams of a music scholarship and staying in Massachusetts to work on her family’s fishing boat. The title is an acronym for “child of deaf adults”, and Ruby is the only hearing member of her family; her parents (played by Matlin and Kotsur) and brother are deaf.
