Sound of Metal (2019)

• Year: 2019
• Released: 04 Dec 2020
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 2 Oscars. 88 wins & 176 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5363618/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sound_of_metal
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sound-of-metal
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 720p
• Language: English, American Sign , French
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Drama, Music
• Runtime: 120 min
• Writer: Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek Cianfrance
• Director: Darius Marder
• Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci
• Keywords: addiction, heavy metal, deaf, sign languages, missouri,

	7.7/10
	82/100
	97% – Critics
	90% – Audience

Sound of Metal Storyline

Keeping at bay his inner demons by devoting himself to art, metal drummer, Ruben, has been living for the moment for the past four years. Then, while on tour with his lead-singer/girlfriend, Lou, Ruben realises that his hearing is rapidly deteriorating. As this sudden hearing loss turns his world upside down, and numbing fear paired with angry denial take over, Ruben reluctantly accepts to join a small deaf community overseen by Joe, a compassionate Vietnam War veteran. Now, Ruben needs to find some solid ground, understand that being deaf is not a handicap and that deafness isn’t something to fix. But, is Ruben willing to accept his new life and learn how to be deaf?

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Sound of Metal Movie Reviews

amazing Riz

Heavy metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) and his singer girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) are driving their RV across America on a concert tour. Out of the blue, he loses a large portion of his hearing. It is the start of a life altering journey.

I’m watching this for Riz Ahmed and I’m not disappointed. It’s a troubled character and a masterful performance. At times, he’s quite frustrating but he is never boring. Even the silence of the deaf community cannot silence his personality. The movie is a little long. If it could squeeze down closer to ninety minutes, the movie could elevate its intensity. Nevertheless, it’s a great character study and a great showcase for Ahmed.

Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal starts with rock/metal duo Blackgammon at a concert.

No wonder with all that noise passing for music, drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) loses most of his hearing.

Music being Ruben’s livelihood. Going deaf is catastrophic not only for him but singer and his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke.)

They have been together for four years and both have help each other to work through their personal issues.

Ruben is a recovering heroin addict. Lou used to cut herself due to past trauma.

This setback could push Ruben back to his addiction issues. Cochlear implants may be beneficial but it is not covered by his medical insurance.

Possible help comes in the form of a rural retreat for deaf recovering addicts. It is run by Joe (Paul Raci) who lost his hearing in the Vietnam War and became an alcoholic.

It means he has to leave Lou behind and lose touch with the outside world. Soon Ruben learns sign language but he wants his old life back.

Director Darius Marder serves away from the easy options these kind of dramas take. The film is really a character study about Ruben. You expect that somehow either Ruben or Lou will have a serious relapse.

Riz Ahmed gives a mesmerizing performance by utilising his skills of minimal acting. There is a lot of stillness and portraying mood with his eyes.

The film does lose touch with Lou and that diminishes the movie when she is not around.

The retreat was a strange place. There is a nearby school where Ruben goes to spend time with the children. He learns sign language and he teaches the kids how to drum. I just kept wondering whether all these recovering addicts have been vetted by the police?

What was the deal about the people in the retreat not being able to contact loved ones? Ruben and Lou are interdependent on each other and as Ruben mentions, she would have nowhere to go. It turns out that Lou has somewhere to go, but it is thousands of miles away.

I did have issues as to why Joe thought Ruben wanting implants was a bad thing. He is trying to mitigate his disability. It is like saying that a man who has lost a part of his arm should get used to the loss of his limb and not get a prosthetic.

The film has a coda set in France. Ruben realises that his old life of touring with Lou has gone. Lou starts to become anxious and itch her old wounds when he mentions touring again.

The film is left open ended. Ruben realises that he might have to get used to his new silent world.

The sound and the not sound

While it does start with music and a band and performances (live), this movie is not so much about music .. it is about one of our senses! Many of us don’t even realize how precious they are (our senses), because we have them and see them as a given. It is therefor quite incredible what the movie achieves by taking us on a journey.

Riz Ahmed is an incredible actor and it is amazing every time he can and is allowed to show his range. Actors are being cast by their looks and it is obvious what roles Riz gets offered most of the time. In this case it is different and the character is relatable to say the least. And that is something that the movie and its director achieve also. The way this is shot and the sound design … I mean I can’t stress out how important that is. If you like human drama you cannot go wrong with this one. It is thoughtful and then some … not easy to digest, but so important in many respects.