In a Perfect World

CODA in Context

By Leeanne Seaver, H&V Headquarters © 2022

My daughter Makena, a SODA (sibling of Deaf Adult), was the first in our family to see CODA, a film about Ruby Rossi, a hearing girl (child of Deaf adults: CODA) coming of age in an all-Deaf family. Directed by Siân Heder, the movie features a luminous Marlee Matlin as Ruby’s mother, and Troy Kotsur, in the role of Ruby’s father, Frank. While the credits were still rolling, Makena group-texted us: YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE! I cried pretty much the whole way through!!

Her enthusiastic review was validated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film won the 2022 Oscar for Best Picture. Troy Kotsur was rightfully recognized as Best Supporting Actor, and Heder was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay. Like everybody else I knew in the Deaf Community, I was so proud of all these kudos, and couldn’t wait to see it. When I finally did, I’ll admit I had mixed emotions.

A discussion with Darian Slattery, a Deaf independent film-maker and director, helped me understand why.

Leeanne Seaver: How has the attention garnered by CODA been received by the Deaf Community?

Darian Slattery: I cannot speak for the whole community, but in my circles, the film has gotten mixed reviews. Very mixed. At the root of it, the plot of the film was negative and a disempowering representation. Many Deaf people, especially those as culturally Deaf, linguistically skilled, and strong-willed as the Rossis, navigate communication with the hearing world with much more ease and independence than we see in this film, or most media content about Deaf people, for that matter.

For whatever reason, hearing audiences seem to be less interested in Deaf stories of success than they are in our stories of struggle. I know many people who consider the film unrealistic in addition to disempowering (which adds insult to injury) and I initially agreed with this analysis. Other Deaf friends of mine pointed out that just because the film does not represent my Deaf experience, does not mean it doesn’t represent a very real Deaf experience, and so I took a few steps back to consider this.

It’s certainly true that many Deaf people do live in isolation all across America. Even though the ADA was passed 30 years ago, there is no assurance that equitable access is available everywhere. This means that relying on family members, as the Rossis do with Ruby, their CODA, is often the most convenient way to get access in rural areas. In this regard, the film isn’t unrealistic, and the intentional casting of Deaf actors for Deaf roles helps keep us involved in our own representation. It conveys to the audience that even when we are ostracized, we are still whole, capable human beings. This gives us the opportunity to see ourselves in these characters, rather than watch non-Deaf people paint a picture of us that is both disempowering and truly unrealistic. Trust me, we can always tell when an actor is really Deaf and when they aren’t.

But just because the story is realistic, doesn’t mean it’s a story the world needs. I know many signing Deaf parents who make a point not to allow their CODA children to interpret for them, recognizing the difficulties it could cause within the family dynamic. Those people have far more interesting family stories than that of this film. 

LS: What is the obligation of the film itself given these complexities?

DS: I believe that content creators are responsible for examining the world they make their art in, and trying to anticipate the role their work plays in it. I also believe film is capable of creating massive, rippling social change and that it should be used to do so, but CODA cannot and will not do that. If most of the mainstream stories that already exist about Deaf people focus on the things we cannot do—i.e., Hush, A Quiet Place, Children of a Lesser God, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Love is Never Silent, and every Deaf episode of every hospital show—emphasizing the ways we struggle in the world, why do we need another story that says the same thing? What does it communicate to a world that already pities us, when we’ve been begging them for decades not to?

At best, it’s cliché to keep showing Deaf people exclusively in these disadvantaged positions, but, at worst, it further marginalizes us. Given the chance, we could tell you many stories of ways that we thrive in this hearing world as Deaf people confidently owning ourselves and fighting for our unique communication needs.

LS: What was gratifying about CODA’s Oscar sweep?

DS: Troy Kotsur is an absolute powerhouse and he earned his Oscar for bringing his character to life so beautifully. I am so glad not to be alone in that opinion. When I first saw the film, I feared he would be overlooked in awards season, the way all the incredible Deaf actors in Spring Awakening on Broadway (ex: CODA co-star, Daniel Durant) were passed-by at the 2016 Tony Awards. To see hearing people recognize Kotsur’s talent and “overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles,” (as previous Oscar Best Picture Winner Bong Joon Ho said in 2020) fills me with pride, joy, and genuine hope for my future as a Deaf creator and as a signing Deaf person navigating a hearing world. Hopefully it means hearing people will begin to see us and engage with us directly. Only then can the Ruby Rossis of the world finally step aside so we can take matters into our own hands, so to speak. 

LS: As an independent director who’s Deaf, what advice do you have for Hollywood?

DS: Please fund Deaf people creating their own stories. This is the only way to get authentic, nuanced, original, and INTERESTING (non-clichéd!) stories about members of marginalized and/or ostracized communities. 

Every time I talk about CODA, I ask if the film would have been more interesting if, instead of focusing on a teenager’s singing career, it examined the internalized ableism/audism that causes the Deaf Rossi parents to resist so strongly when their Deaf son asserts that he can help them run the family business without Ruby’s help. I find that to be a much more original and compelling story than the one we received. It could also more easily become a story of personal growth… of Deaf people uplifting and validating one another, rather than one of proving themselves to hearing people, which would have been more inspiring for Deaf viewers in the audience.

We Deaf people know ourselves and our struggles more intimately than outsiders ever can. We are willing to share them through art, we just need people to take us seriously and give us the opportunities and resources to hone our skills and promote our work. 

Hollywood casting Deaf actors to play ourselves is a start, but please start hiring us in positions with actual decision-making power so we can finally begin control the narratives surrounding our identities and share with you the depth and richness of our real-life experiences.

LS: Any thoughts to share with parents of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

DS: I want to say outright that Deaf people are more capable than the film depicted. Thank you for this great opportunity to share that perspective. Hearing parents need to see positive, inspiring messages about the potential of their Deaf kids. This is a passion of mine.  ~

Darian Slattery has a degree in Communication. Her research into Disabled representation in American films produced before and after the passing of the ADA led to her current position analyzing and producing Deaf content with Morpheyes Media and RIT/NTID production studios. She can be reached at: darian. slattery @ gmail.com