[Review] Sound Of Metal(2020) {7/10}

Directed and co-written by Darius Marder, the film stars Riz Ahmed (Ruben Stone), Olivia Cooke (Lou Berger), Paul Raci (Joe), Lauren Ridloff (Diane), and Mathieu Amalric (Richard Berger).

The plot follows Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) who is the drummer in the metal band Blackgammon, with his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) on guitar and shrieking vocals. While setting up for a gig, Ruben experiences a sudden loss of hearing; he can't hear a thing. A doctor tells him that he needs to stay away from loud noises or face losing his hearing for good. Ruben also learns about cochlear implants, which are expensive but could let him hear again. After unwisely faking his way through the gig, Ruben winds up at a special camp for deaf and hard of hearing people that's run by kindly, no-nonsense war veteran Joe (Paul Raci). There, Ruben begins to learn American Sign Language and how to manage his deafness. But he can't stop thinking about the implants and how they could allow him to return to music and to Lou.

With its focus on characters, emotions, and ideology, this powerful drama with great performances easily overcomes its few flaws to drum up enormous empathy and heartbreak. The feature directing debut of Darius Marder, who co-wrote The Place Beyond the Pines, Sound of Metal uses a rather drab, realistic palette that matches Ruben's rock-rebel sensibility. There may be one scene too many of handheld cameras capturing moments of brooding. But the actors immerse themselves into the movie's world with total commitment. Ahmed, unsurprisingly, is amazing, though his best work isn't so much the rage that Ruben expresses about his deafness but the earlier scenes of existential terror when he first realizes what's happening to him. Another standout is Raci, who brings a powerful weight and history to Joe. Another masterstroke is the movie's sound design, which brilliantly suggests what it might be like in Ruben's head, both muffled and stuffy in the early scenes and then using a buzzing, tinny sound to replicate the effect of the implants. The movie's title likely has a dual meaning. The post-implant scenes are the most heartbreaking in Sound of Metal, but its conclusion, both ambiguous and unforgettable, offers an amazing moment of serenity.

Sound Of Metal is now available on Amazon Prime Video.