When CODA hit the cinemas in 2021, many viewers remembered a French comedy made seven years ago: The Bélier Family. In the memory everyone considered it a good movie and were surprised by such a close remake. But the story didn't end there. Months passed and CODA began to win prizes. Being available on Prime Video, the film added three Oscar nominations to its career: Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, Troy Kotsur. And he finally managed to win all three awards, so he secured a place in the history of the awards, at the same time that interest was again generated by The Bélier Family.
The French film takes place in the French countryside. Paula (played by singer and actress Louane Emera) is a teenager who lives with her family, the owners of a farm. Her parents (Karin Viard and François Damiens) and her brother (Luca Gelberg) are deaf, so Paula is usually the interpreter with the rest of the people and the one who dedicates herself to dealing with customers when they go to the fair to sell the farm's products.
One day, following in the footsteps of a boy she likes, Paula signs up for the school choir. Music teacher Fabien Thomasson (Eric Elmosnino) quickly discovers that he has an unusual talent for singing. Paula is passionate about this door that opens in front of her, but at the same time, starting that new path means moving away from family designs. As you can see, CODA respected the central structure of this film, making some minor but effective changes. In some respect, the North American version tries to avoid situations that are too unlikely or that deviate from the central theme.
The Bélier family succeeded in France, perhaps for the same reason that CODA won. the favor of the public and the awards in the United States. His story is universal and deals with topics that no one is alien to. In the midst of all kinds of films today, these titles are close to the family, with the good and bad that it entails. But there is not a minor fact, the French version was not taken as a film worthy of awards and generated, in some way, some controversy.
Those who have not seen CODA may not understand the reason, but when watching The Bélier Family, something is wrong with those who play the protagonist's parents. It is evident that they are overacting and that they force comedy with a discouraged gesture. Well, the truth is that they are not deaf and must have learned sign language for the film. Like those who speak a language they don't understand, both are unbelievable, even for those who don't speak sign language. In France, the deaf community could not tolerate the fact, and expressed its displeasure at what they considered to be an exaggerated version of the communication of the deaf. Only the protagonist's brother is deaf in real life, and maybe that's why he's much more sober when it comes to playing his character. But the actress who plays Paula does not have a great charisma either, she is just an excellent singer.
That's where CODA resolves the situation well. Although there is no obligation to hire deaf actors to play deaf people, in this case the result is so superior that it makes it clear that good actors have been hired who are also deaf. They are funny, emotional and their sign language conveys a different emotion. In The Bélier Family, things work much better with scenes that include the music teacher, just the opposite of what happens in CODA.
It does not mean that the actors of The Bélier Family are bad, in fact when they don't use sign language they are able to genuinely excite. The film finally finds its heart and that is why it was so successful. A song by Michel Sardou, which has some alterations in the lyrics, is the big moment of the film. As in CODA, it is necessary for the viewer to have some handkerchiefs on hand. In that way both films are very similar.
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