Rebecca A Withey: Why Troy Kotsur’s performance makes the movie CODA worth watching

With news of the movie CODA being re released into British cinemas from 8^th April, I am gearing myself up to go and watch it again – something I initially didn’t think I’d ever do.

Whilst I was thrilled to see Troy Kotsur – one of the films supporting artists – become the first deaf man to receive several accolades for his role, there were several elements in the story that made CODA an uneasy viewing for me.

The first and perhaps most obvious element was the fact that the lead character was not an actual Child Of Deaf Adults. Emilia Jones was cast as Ruby Rossi – the only hearing person in a deaf family – and took American Sign Language classes for 9 months prior to filming.

As the actual sign for the word CODA literally translates as “deaf at heart” I felt it was a shame they didn’t cast an authentic CODA who had the lived in, authentic experience and natural ASL skills from being brought up with a deaf family.

It was also rather clear to me that the writer had quite limited life experience with deaf people as several of the English lines didn’t work with the sign language, and there seemed to be cliché after cliché used throughout the story.

According to CODA deaf people are noisy, have no interest in music and are rude – bordering on crass. These elements felt more like stereotypes than actual fair representations and I wonder how the story would have been written if a deaf person had co-written the script.

That said, I do recall some brilliant moments that stick in my memory, largely played by Troy Kotsur and his on screen son Daniel Durant – both talented deaf actors who were largely unknown before their appearance in CODA.

Kotsur’s performance as Frank Rossi – a struggling fisherman who relies on his hearing daughter to interpret for him – really was sublime. There were moments throughout the movie where Kotsur’s descriptive ASL made me laugh in amazement as he brought visual jokes to life and his manner around hearing people reminded me of that favourite person everyone used to have in the deaf club; the one who told stories or asked the funniest/bluntest questions.

Daniel Durant played son Leo Rossi with great conviction, and it was fun to see his character use text messages to flirt with a hearing girl he liked – when there’s a will, there’s a way eh!

It was also said that Marlee Matlin – who appears as Kotsur’s on screen wife Jackie Rossi – had to persuade the director to cast deaf actors as Kotsur and Durant’s characters were originally going to be played by hearing actors.

Thank goodness Matlin was able to convince them to do otherwise as for me, Kotsur alone provides a level of authenticity and warmth to the movie that it wouldn’t have had without him.

Whilst the hearing community may have sobbed at parts of the film that the deaf community cringed at, there’s no denying that by starring in CODA Troy Kotsur has finally gained recognition for his talent after over 20 years of working on small roles as a deaf actor.

Marlee Matlin said in a recent television interview that she had been encouraging TV producers and directors for years to cast other deaf actors, that she wasn’t the only one. Now, at last, she says she no longer feels alone.

There was a powerful moment in CODA where Frank Rossi stands up and communicates strongly and defiantly in beautiful ASL, as he challenges the fishermen in his neighbourhood to pull together to find a solution to their current difficulties. With fire in his hands and eyes, Kotsur’s performance was raw and real. It blew me away and I knew he was one to watch.

Mainstream cinema has had very little variation in the portrayal of deaf characters but the honesty and charisma found in Kotsur’s Frank Rossi gives me hope that we are moving slowly but surely to a more balanced portrayal of deafness and deaf culture in the film world.

So, regardless of whether CODA was appropriately cast or written politically correctly, I urge you to go and see it when it’s re released, if only to just enjoy seeing Troy Kotsur on your screen. There’s no doubt about it, Kotsur is a trailblazer of an actor who will certainly inspire others and open doors for more new talented deaf actors to come through.

Rebecca Anne Withey is a freelance writer with a background in Performing Arts & Holistic health. She is also profoundly deaf, a sign language user and pretty great lipreader. She writes on varied topics close to her heart in the hope that they may serve to inspire others.