Oscars 2022: "Coda" clears away
Created: 2022-03-28Updated: 2022-03-28 13:26
By: Katja Kraft
Oscars 2022: Troy Kotsur is happy about the award in the category "Best Supporting Actor" for the film "Coda" © Jordan Strauss / Invision / dpa
The tragic comedy "Coda" tells the story of a deaf fisherman's family.
Now the film wins the Oscar.
Everything you need to know about the 94th Oscars can be read here:
If only he could hear the applause.
he can see him.
Almost all 2500 guests in the Dolby Theater stand up and shake their hands as Troy Kotsur staggers onto the stage, filled with happiness, around 2.25 a.m. German time on Sunday night.
In sign language, shaking hands is the sign of applause.
Kotsur, deaf, just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
And while Will Smith may make headlines with his physical attack on Chris Rock, Troy Kotsur is honestly touching that night.
And the entire team of the film "Coda", the surprise winner of the 94th Academy Awards.
Oscars 2022: "Coda" is the surprise winner
Although the surprise is not entirely true.
This touching film jewel has already won four awards at the Sundance Film Festival and then several times at the British Academy Film Awards.
And at the latest after the Producers Guild declared “Coda” the best film a few days ago, it was no longer considered a hot contender for the highest award at the Oscar gala, even among insiders.
The Oscar Gala is not a place for politics
The story, for which screenwriter and director Siân Heder was based on the French comedy Do you understand the Béliers?, is narrated by Ruby (Emilia Jones).
Her brother and parents are deaf and rely relentlessly on Ruby's interpreting skills when in contact with hearing people.
Now the 17-year-old wants to go to college to study singing (!).
It's a classic coming-of-age story.
But one that teaches viewers more than just the courage to find your own path.
It's about opening up to others, not shutting yourself off like Ruby's family has always done.
Not stewing in your own juice.
About integration, cohesion, recognizing commonalities.
And so this film is a sign of peace in times of peace.
When you experience how lovingly the "Coda" crew members treat each other, how naturally deaf and hearing people work together here and how much they have obviously grown fond of one another, your heart will melt.
The Academy Awards is not a place for direct politics - but one that can convey human values through the power of images.
And only secondarily, with a bit of luck, can we also change something socio-politically.
The Power of the Dog and Dune were Oscar favorites
And so it's not just a "Coda" fan who's happy that a film that sends love out into the world wins.
No dark dramas like "The Power of the Dog" or "Dune", which were nominated twelve and ten times respectively.
It's a basically simple, yet amazingly effective story.
So effective that even the First Lady of the USA could not resist the effect: Jill Biden recently invited the entire team to a screening of the film in the White House together with US President Joe Biden.
"It's amazing, the film has been well received all over the world," enthuses Kotsur in his acceptance speech.
And why?
"Because of you," he says in the direction of his director Siân Heder.
“You brought the deaf and the hearing world together.
You were our bridge.
