Sound of Metal (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed, from The Night Of) 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 Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.
The film includes sub-titles so that hearing and non-hearing audiences can experience Ruben’s journey.
Critics have praised Ahmed’s performance, with the Washington Post writing, “For the most part, the heavy lifting of the film is left to Ahmed, and he handles it effortlessly, in a moving and unforced turn that, while characterized by moments of rage and destruction, is ultimately a journey of acceptance.”
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