Sian Heder's Oscar-winning film 'CODA' was a perfect storm of cinematic magic. It delivered a heartfelt coming-of-age story, authentic family dynamics, and a soaring musical core that was impossible not to love. So where do you go from there?
John Carney
This is the
most natural next step for any 'CODA' fan. An Irish director and former musician, Carney has built a career on telling stories about the power of music to connect us. His breakout film, 'Once', is a raw, beautiful story about two Dublin musicians who bond while writing songs together. Like 'CODA', it feels incredibly real, capturing the joy and vulnerability of the creative process. If you want something with a bit more of a Hollywood shine but the same spirit, 'Begin Again' stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo as a disgraced record executive and a heartbroken singer-songwriter who decide to record an album on the streets of New York City. And for the ultimate feel-good musical, 'Sing Street' follows a group of 1980s Dublin teenagers who start a band to impress a girl. All of Carney's films share 'CODA's' belief that a great song can save your life.
Mike Mills
If the messy, loving, and deeply authentic family at the center of 'CODA' was your favorite part, then you need to explore the filmography of Mike Mills. Mills is a master of capturing the complex, funny, and often unspoken ways that families communicate and care for one another. His films feel less like scripted dramas and more like intimate portraits of real people. In '20th Century Women', a single mother in 1979 Santa Barbara enlists the help of two younger women to help raise her teenage son. In 'C'mon C'mon', a radio journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) forms an unexpected bond with his young nephew. Mills' films are full of empathy, wit, and a profound humanism that will feel very familiar to anyone who was moved by the Rossi family's journey. He excels at showing how people try, and sometimes fail, to understand each other across generational and cultural divides.
Chloé Zhao
One of the most powerful elements of 'CODA' was its commitment to authenticity, particularly in casting deaf actors to play deaf characters. Director Chloé Zhao has built her career on a similar foundation of realism and respect for the communities she portrays. Before her foray into the Marvel universe, Zhao made a name for herself with films like 'The Rider' and the Oscar-winning 'Nomadland'. In these films, she frequently works with non-professional actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves, creating a style that beautifully blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Her work is defined by a deep empathy and a quiet, observational style that allows the stories of people on the fringes of American society to unfold with grace and dignity. If you were drawn to the way 'CODA' gave a voice and a platform to a specific, often misunderstood community, Zhao's deeply humanistic films are an essential watch.
Kelly Reichardt
For viewers who appreciate a quieter, more contemplative style of storytelling, Kelly Reichardt is a perfect choice. Her films, often set in the Pacific Northwest, are minimalist and naturalistic, focusing on the small, meaningful moments in her characters' lives. She is a master of 'slow cinema', using long takes and sparse dialogue to build a deep sense of place and character. Films like 'Wendy and Lucy', about a young woman searching for her lost dog, or 'First Cow', a gentle story of friendship and capitalism on the American frontier, share 'CODA's' profound empathy for characters who are navigating difficult circumstances. Reichardt's style might be more understated than Heder's, but the emotional impact is just as potent. Her movies don't shout; they whisper, drawing you into the lives of ordinary people with an extraordinary sense of compassion and care.
