| Sound Of Metal | |
| Director: | Darius Marder |
| Cast: | Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Lauren Ridloff, Paul Raci |
| Released Date: | 14 August 2020 (Canada) |
| IMDB: | 7.8/10 |
| Platform: | Amazon Prime |
Sound Of Metal Plot
The story revolves around Ruben, a metal drummer who lost his hearing from constant exposure to loud noise. Now he must struggle to get his hearing back so that he can perform again. “Sound Of Metal”
Sound Of Metal Review
When this film released last year in March it wasn’t very popular until now. I found it on Amazon Prime & thought of watching it. Very earlier I’ve watched the trailer but it went out of my head. Seeing Riz Ahmed‘s nomination in Golden Globe 2021 in the male actor surprised me & hence, I watched it. Darius Marder made a very important movie. For anyone who is struggling around any circumstances in their life or had faced it should watch this film. It is a great awareness film that says- Deafness is not a handicap. Ruben who had been a metal performer with her girlfriend, Lou for a long time now experiences the total absence of sound in his life.
The story tells how & what he does to cope up with his new life. The film starts with a performance where they show to what level of noises they are exposed to; which is obvious to damage your ears at one point in life. Then suddenly one day he realizes that he can’t hear properly & it feels different in his ears. That’s where the trouble starts. At first, they visit a deaf community rehab where he rejects his chance to work on himself. It is followed by disagreement & fights between him & Lou who obviously wants him to choose the rehab. Soon she had to leave for her music tour which leaves Rubin alone, damaged & then he went to rehab. A rage-filled personality, he somehow manages to get friendly with the atmosphere there learning how to live deaf.
He undergoes an implant surgery after saving up and that’s where finding the true purpose of this film begins. He thought that surgery could save him which it did up to some level but things were different this time. What he hears now is much more painful than utter silence. This is reflected in the very last scene very clearly. You will love how the starting scene & the ending scene is a complete contrast to each other.
Performance
Riz Ahmed very easily gave his best act till date and the very first scene tells it all as he is plays drum, bare body, and his muscles responding to the impact of his every movement. Along the story, he descends from hot-headed to a completely calm person who is searching himself. His expressions were so real in each & every step of this film & he succeeded in engaging the viewers in his journey. Ruben’s disagreement with his disability & then finally accepting it is all Sound of Metal about. He already got a nomination in Golden Globe 2021 in the ‘male actor’ category & I don’t see why the same won’t happen in Oscars 2021.
Olivia Cooke’s character was very supportive to the cause of Ruben. For the parts she has, she was very good & I really wished she got more screen time. In the second half, we see her in a different appearance from the first half where I found her very adorable. A great thing about this film is that it worked with a large deaf community that is very new in this film that helped to uphold the particular topic. That is why we got Lauren Ridloff in this film although for a very short period but important. Paul Raci also played a deaf mentor & his performance is also worth mentioning.
Technical Aspects
Any review of this film is incomplete without mentioning the sound designing of this film. The sound editor & composers did a brilliant job in creating a set of sounds that perfectly reflects what’s happening inside Ruben- both his mental and hearing. A very different style of sound was heard in this film that improved the storytelling rapidly. The sound brought soul to the film along with the stealing performances of the actors. It involves even those scenes which were silent. This movie might also get the nomination in ‘sound designing’ or ‘sound editing’ in Academy Awards 2021.
Verdict
This is a silent film for the most part & if you could watch it calmly with all your attention then you will see a very sensitive drama that needs recognition. And the silence works clearly to make the audiences connect with what’s going on with Ruben’s life & his view of life. If you are someone who enjoys quality cinema then you will appreciate Ruben’s journey. Even when Riz stares blankly in the film, you will see him deep into his performance successfully bringing the life & soul to the character & the story.
