In this regard, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was a milestone for the company, boasting an unprecedented level of A-list talent that would help transform Netflix into a haven for auteur filmmakers disillusioned by Hollywood. While the term “Netflix Original Film” is now a familiar sight for anyone who partakes in movie watching, back in the late 2010s it still carried all the derogatory terms that had once applied to “direct-to-DVD”, with entire swathes of the industry fiercely opposed to the popularization of streaming services before a certain global pandemic brought the matter to a swift conclusion. Yes, it was warmly received by critics and performed modestly well on the festivals circuit (notably winning the Best Screenplay Award at Venice Film Festival), but no one was talking about it without making reference to the unusual choice for funding and distribution that the Coens had opted for – Netflix. While the release of a new Coen Brothers film always attracts attention, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs did so with an underlying sense of cautious unease. A greatest hits collection compiled from thirty-four years’ worth of amazing films? What’s not to love? While these storylines share some degree of thematic overlap, narrative connections are nonexistent, allowing the Coens to jump between an eclectic array of styles and moods that sees them pulling from every corner of their filmography. The reason why the film accomplishes this comes down to its anthology structure, weaving together six vignettes to explore the entire range of the American frontier. Every characteristic one associates with their films is here: genre hybridization, dark humor, pitch-perfect dialogue, a deep exploration of the American mythos that both critiques and reveries in equal measure – all portrayed with a delicious combination of nihilism and absurdism that only these Minnesota natives can do. In many ways, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is the perfect encapsulation for the Coen Brothers' career. At least we still have The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to remind us that the good times are never truly over. You don’t have to search far to hear whispers of a reunion, but as the years trickle onwards with no confirmation to verify these rumors, the internet finds itself moving into the acceptance stage of its Coen Brothers-inspired grief. The Coens have continued on these independent trajectories ever since, with Ethan currently in post-production on the comedy road film Drive-Away Dolls, the follow-up to his 2022 documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (neither of which involved Joel). As such, the cinephile world was understandably shocked when it was announced that The Tragedy of Macbeth would be directed only by Joel Coen, with his brother, Ethan, being entirely absent from the proceedings. It’s safe to say that any body of work that contains Miller's Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men is destined for the history books, and holding it in the highest of regards has effectively become a minimum requirement for anyone interested in film. CODA is produced by Vendome Pictures and Pathé.The Coen Brothers are among the most acclaimed filmmakers of their era, and arguably the most famous directing duo in cinema. Dramatic Competition category at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and became the first film to be honored with an unprecedented four awards at the festival: the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, the Directing Award, the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize. Written and directed by Siân Heder, CODA was presented in the U.S. Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez) to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams. But when Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Her life revolves around acting as interpreter for her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) and working on the family’s struggling fishing boat every day before school with her father and older brother (Daniel Durant). Seventeen-year-old Ruby ( Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family – a CODA, child of deaf adults.
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