*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career, and with it his life, is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew.
Utilising startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world. He achieves this by frequently muting and distorting the sounds. When Ruben’s hearing first begins to become impaired, we feel his frustration at or being able to understand what people are saying and losing his ability to communicate with them. I think that Sound of Metal will resonate with anyone who has physical and/or mental disability as they’ll be able to connect with Ruben and not being able to live the life they want. However, through its story, Sound of Metal sends out an inspiring message about not letting your disability prevent you from living your life.
To cope with his hearing loss, Ruben is sent to a rehab facility owned by Joe (Paul Raci). This is where Sound of Metal was at its most compelling as Joe tasks Ruben with writing endlessly and sitting peacefully in an effort to make him comfortable with the silence, and confides to him that he himself will do the same, simultaneously. Ruben joins Diane's class and starts to connect with the children and gives them basic drumming lessons. Although hearing loss can have a negative impact on someone’s life, these scenes are fascinating as they show that the characters have accepted their loss of hearing and have learned to live with the condition. This is what makes them all the more admirable.
The most impressive aspect of Sound of Metal is Ahmed’s performance as Ruben. Ahmed has made small appearances in Nightcrawler, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Venom, however, in Sound of Metal, he is given an opportunity to show off his talents as a dramatic actor and, with his performance as Ruben, he has succeeded. He captures most of the emotions that an individual experiences when faced with a life debilitating condition including shock, anger, frustration, sadness, acceptance and optimism. It’s a career defining performance that has earned Ahmed several award nominations including Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards. Equally as impressive is Raci as Ruben’s mentor, Joe, who helps him accept his new condition and shows him how to live with it. It’s a memorable performance that has led to Raci receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Olivia Cooke also delivers a strong supporting performance as Ruben’s girlfriend, Lou. Since appearing as the cancer stricken Rachel in the surprisingly funny Me and Earl and the Dying Girl in 2015, Cooke has continued to impress with her acting skills by appearing in a wide range of films including the twisted thriller, Thoroughbreds, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, in Steven Spielberg’s virtual reality based blockbuster, Ready Player One, and last year in the crime based comedy, Pixie. Prior to watching Sound of Metal, I was worried that she was simply Ruben’s girlfriend, however, I didn’t think that was the case as the final act sees Ruben visiting Lou in Paris on her father’s (Mathieu Amalric) birthday.
Sound of Metal is directed by Marder who wrote the story with Derek Cianfrance who is best known for writing and directing films such as Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines. With Sound of Metal, Marder, his brother, Abraham and Cianfrance have written a thoughtful drama that explores how the loss of sound has an major impact on a drummer’s life. It’s an interesting premise that is executed through Marder’s skilful direction. He clearly knows how to make a compelling drama that keeps its viewers invested throughout.
Aside from Ahmed and Raci’s performances, Sound of Metal has also received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound and Best Film Editing. After watching it, I can fully understand why Sound of Metal has been received so favourably and regarded as one of the best films to be released recently as it’s a thoughtful drama that features an impressive lead performance from Riz Ahmed and tells an fascinating story.
8/10
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