CODA

Coda is a musical term for the end or finale. CODA in the best picture winning movie stands for Child of Deaf Adults. I did not know that when we went to see the movie today. Pre-pandemic, I made it a practice to make sure I saw all of the best picture nominees. We went to the movies at least once/week, so it wasn’t really hard to catch the talked-about movies. This year, I had seen none. This is the first year I didn’t watch the Academy Awards in as long as I can remember (and something HAPPENED)! Our local theater is independent, and we have done what we could to support them during pandemic (popcorn purchases, going back when we could). I saw an ad last week that CODA was coming, and I thought we should go. It won best picture and I didn’t even know what it was about. I told Keith at 10am (5 minutes after I woke up – yay me!) that it was on at 11:00 and we could go. He said he would rather get the taxes done and go later in the day. Sounded good. I played on my phone. Then he came back and said we could have popcorn for lunch and we should go. Oh. Quick.

We settled in with our giant tub of popcorn. Yay popcorn. I love popcorn. (I always wonder which came first, my love of movies or my love of popcorn. I will admit to having looked for a movie to see just because I wanted theater popcorn.) (How is it so good?!) The movie started and after the first couple minutes I said to Keith, “I am so happy to be in a movie theater!!” (I could say it almost out loud because the only three other people in the theater were 10 rows back from us.) We haven’t been in a movie theater in over six months, due to pandemic and travel and it felt so good!

The movie is outstanding. Go see it. Maybe not right now, because it might be night while you are reading this, but go see it. Go see it in a theater if you can (because movies are great at home, but they truly are better in a theater) (according to me).

I want to give no spoilers, because spoilers are the worst, but it is about the child of deaf adults. It made me think so much about deaf people (obviously), but also about any marginalized people. It is so hard to know how to interact sometimes – but we need to be willing to interact. We need to be willing to learn and to change and to try. It is so easy to stay in comfort bubbles (especially after having just been in bubbles for the past two years). The movie also made me think about how people communicate. I so often assume. I don’t communicate effectively because I just assume someone already knows something, or that someone isn’t interested in knowing something. Gaaahhhh. I am not in charge of making decisions for others – I don’t even like doing it for myself. I want to tell you all the things this funny, sad, clever, musical, beautiful movie made me think, but I can’t, because SPOILERS. So, go see it and we’ll talk. 🙂 (The movie also made me want to sign everything. I do not know ASL, which is seen in the movie, but I do know Signed Exact English, and Keith had to live with that for the first ten minutes after the movie. Luckily, he knows signs like bathroom and popcorn.)

In our scurrying to get there in time, we did not ransack the house for cash. We usually do, because as with most small businesses they like when you pay in cash. After buying our popcorn, etc., I bemoaned the fact that we wouldn’t be able to refill for $1.50 after the movie, because charging $1.50 would be ridiculous. Keith agreed and we agreed that we really didn’t need to take a tub of popcorn home. As we entered the lobby after the movie, I realized I needed a picture for today and ran back to take a picture of the theater. When I came back to the lobby, I took the actual POTD.

My husband would never want me to go without. He is very sweet that way.