Sunday night's Oscars were... memorable for a big reason. But I'm not here to talk about THAT. Instead, I want to mention CODA. This movie has been on the radar since it debuted on Apple TV+. And in a first, this film took the award for Best Picture when it was only on a streaming service. Owen Gleiberman over at Variety has more.
...just as “CODA’s” Oscar triumph signifies that we’re in a whole new ballgame of an era, where streaming is the paradigmatic new normal (which potentially scrambles the very metaphysic of “movies,” since that word no longer means a thing you watch on a screen big enough to be larger than life), an accompanying shift is that the conversation about movies, to the extent that one still exists, is now driven by social media. And “CODA,” in that arena, has been treated as a “Hallmark movie,” a tearjerker of maximum anti-cachet. It may, in its square way, be the uncoolest Oscar winner in many decades. But that doesn’t mean it’s unworthy.
Variety
The paradigm has certainly shifted in the 'streaming era'. A movie is no longer something we go to a theater to see. It can be on your TV or in a theater or in both places at once. The pandemic has redefined just what a movie is when it comes to where we see it. The shortened theatrical window was a slap in the face to theater owners until an agreement was finally reached between them and the studios. Either way, I am definitely one for viewing them at home.
Apple went big with promoting CODA but also knew that by hosting a film with a predominately deaf cast, they were making a statement. It's another signal that Apple is always willing to play the long game on things they believe in. The iPod took years to become ubiquitous. The iPad was mocked for months before its debut. Apple TV+ was seen as a 'me too' service with crumbs as an offering. Now, they have some amazing content and are bringing it. I'm sure this is just the beginning.