Edmonton Journal

A TREAT FOR THE SENSES

Coda plays out like a familiar piece of music, with welcome predictabi­lity

- CHRIS KNIGHT cknight@postmedia.com twitter.com/chrisknigh­tfilm

CODA ★★★ out of 5

Cast: Patrick Stewart,

Katie Holmes

Director: Claude Lalonde

Duration: 1 h 36 m

Available: In select theatres

Lovers of classical music listen to their old favourites for many reasons, but seldom to be surprised. So it is with Coda, a movie about an aging musician rescued from stage fright by the gentle touch of a younger woman.

It's lovely to watch and to listen to, but a big part of its charm is that there's no big twist at the end.

Patrick Stewart stars as Henry Cole, a famous classical pianist who shut himself away after the death of his wife, and is just now making tentative steps back into the limelight, prodded by his well-meaning agent Paul, played by Giancarlo Esposito.

Henry is often beset by well-wishers, fans and journalist­s, so when Helen Morrison (Katie Holmes) of The New Yorker approaches wanting to write an article, he gently rebuffs her.

Still she persists, and eventually becomes more than just a chronicler of his late career; she helps soothe his nerves, and their conversati­ons about life and art bring him some peace. It doesn't hurt that she was once an aspiring pianist herself, and that he inadverten­tly helped her through a rough patch in that curtailed career.

Narrative-simple, Coda is nonetheles­s a treat for the senses.

Helen convinces Henry to take a trip to Sils Maria, an idyllic, mountainou­s region of Switzerlan­d that Quebec director Claude Lalonde frames beautifull­y. And Ukrainian-canadian pianist Serhiy Salov doubles at the keys for Stewart, who may be many things but is not a trained pianist. His performanc­es of works by Beethoven, Bach, Rachmanino­ff, Chopin and more are flawless, except when the screenplay requires that Henry stumble.

Finally, a quick word on the title. CODA is also the name

(and acronym) of the film about a child of deaf adults that won three Oscars this year including best picture. But Coda (also a term for a passage that brings a piece of music to its conclusion) was shot first, and even saw limited release before the pandemic. Film titles, like musical compositio­ns, sometimes echo one another, and not always intentiona­lly.

 ?? PHOTOS: 1976 PRODUCTION­S ?? Actor Patrick Stewart stars in Coda, a story that offers a lovely respite from the tyranny of the “twist” ending.
PHOTOS: 1976 PRODUCTION­S Actor Patrick Stewart stars in Coda, a story that offers a lovely respite from the tyranny of the “twist” ending.
 ?? ?? Patrick Stewart, left, and Katie Holmes play an aging concert pianist and a journalist, respective­ly, who build a friendship that enriches both of their lives in Coda, a film that keeps it simple but charming.
Patrick Stewart, left, and Katie Holmes play an aging concert pianist and a journalist, respective­ly, who build a friendship that enriches both of their lives in Coda, a film that keeps it simple but charming.

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