Sundance 2021 Film Review: CODA

Welcome to the Strange Harbors coverage of the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Siân Heder’s heartfelt curtain-raiser kicks off this year’s program, a radiantly warm tale of a teenage girl navigating the tension-filled territory between individuality and the bonds of family. An American adaptation of the French dramedy La famille Béllier, Coda wears its coming-of-age tropes on its sleeve, but its confident construction and tender performances strike at the heart of what makes convention so effective. Minor spoilers ahead…