[email protected]
Cinemablography
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Articles by Category
  • Videographic Essays
  • Contributors
  • Journal
    • Existentialism in Film >
      • The Existential Philosophy of Melancholia
      • The Philosophy of Camus in The Dead Don't Die
      • The Existentialist Subtext of Dear Evan Hansen
      • An Existentialist Reading of "The Turin Horse"
    • A Woman's Perspective: Gender, and Identity in the Romanian New Wave
    • Film Theory Issue 1
    • Film Theory Issue 2
    • Science Fiction
    • Science Fiction Issue 2
    • Pan's Labyrinth
    • Kathryn Bigelow >
      • Opening Scene
      • Supermarket Scene
      • Round Table Discussion
  • Our Work
    • Links

Sound of Metal: A Review

2/12/2021

 
by Mason Leaver
Picture
Minor Spoilers for Sound of Metal
     Part of the joy of watching films is the effect they can have on you long after you’ve left the theater or turned off the television. Sometimes this effect is just reflecting on how unbelievably good a scene was, or a performance, or the film as a whole. But I think many people would agree with my conviction that the best films are the ones we think about far down the road, the ones that leave us with something to wrestle with. Something to ponder. These films can often make us uncomfortable as we watch them in the theater, as we are coming to terms with the questions the film raises in real time. But after we walk out of the theater, we’re left to continue to ponder the questions the film raised. One great example of a film like this is Sound of Metal (Marder, 2020). Sound of Metal is a film that captures what I love about cinema- it is a technically polished film, with a solid plot and great performances, that leaves you thinking long after you’ve turned it off. 
    Sound of Metal focuses on Ruben, the drummer for a metal duet, alongside his girlfriend Lou, who plays guitar and does vocals. Ruben and Lou’s act is extremely underground- they’re living out of an RV, with no crew except the two of them, playing shows in tiny venues to small but devoted audiences. In other words, they’re barely scraping by, but they’re loving every moment of it. However, things start to go awry as Ruben begins to rapidly lose his sense of hearing, until he is totally deaf. Unable to play the drums, Ruben joins a deaf community for recovering addicts, where he will learn sign language and be supported by other people struggling to come to terms with their new condition. Over the course of the film, Ruben is repeatedly forced to reevaluate what is important to him, and he becomes a better person as a result. 
Picture
Ruben learns sign language at the deaf community.
   Riz Ahmed stars as Ruben, and he gives a deep, vulnerable and meaningful performance. Watching Ruben’s loss was heartbreaking, and watching as Ahmed depicted his transformation and growth was a delight. Riz Ahmed is an actor that I think is often underappreciated. He consistently gives very good performances- he shines in everything I’ve seen him in. For instance, his roles in Nightcrawler and The Sisters Brothers were both challenging, and he excelled in them. His performance in Sound of Metal is no different, and he ought to be recognized for it, hopefully with a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars this year. 
    Of course, a review of Sound of Metal wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the sound design. Obviously, it’s crucial that a film about losing one’s hearing reflects this trauma, and Sound of Metal does it wonderfully. On a technical level, the balance of the sound and the effects the sound design team used to create the sense of losing hearing works perfectly. And while the technical mastery is impressive, what makes it even more impressive is how director Darius Marder (who previously wrote 2012’s The Place Beyond the Pines) manages to use this sound design to communicate emotion and progress the story. The sound of the film often changes perspectives. At times we are able to hear all sound occurring in the scene (while Ruben is losing his hearing), but at other times we are not given any sound except for the most muffled noises, putting us into Ruben’s perspective. The party scene towards the end of the film is one of the best examples of this switching- we keep shifting from one perspective to another, showing how isolated Ruben feels. Sound of Metal will almost certainly be nominated for the Best Sound Editing Oscar, and I think it’s likely that it will win. 
Picture
Riz Ahmed as Ruben
   Sound of Metal is a film about disability, resilience through loss, addiction, relationships, religion, and more. Because it covers so many deep and complicated themes, it lends itself to being thought about long after the credits have rolled. And of course, the film’s premise forces you to ask the question- “What would I do if I lost my hearing?”. Sound of Metal forces us to confront these questions and to see just how difficult and traumatic that experience can be, but it also shows us the communities that are built up around these issues. The film also compels it’s audience to take an honest look at the ways in which society is not accessible to those with disabilities, and asks us how we could make the world better for everyone. It’s a film that rejects simplicity and demands thoughtful reflection. It’s worth a watch, and can be viewed on Amazon Prime. 
Manuel Franco
8/14/2023 10:12:19 am

I just want to say Thank You to everyone who supported me through the years. My name is Manuel Franco, New Berlin, Wisconsin. My story of how I won the Powerball lottery of $768.4M is a bit of a tale. I have been playing Powerball tickets for 6 years now since I turned 18. I bought my first ticket on my 18 birthday. I was feeling very lucky that day because I had contacted Dr. Odunga Michael to help me with the winning Powerball numbers. I really had that great great feeling that I looked at the camera wanting to wink at it. I only did a tiny part of it and trusted him. He gave me the numbers after I played a couple other tickets along with it for $10. I checked my ticket after the winnings came online and saw the numbers were correct including the Power play. I screamed for about 10 minutes because it felt like a dream. I had won $768.4M. You can check my winning testimony with the lottery officials just with my name search. Thank you Dr Odunga. Well, his email is [email protected] and you can also call or Whats-app him at +2348167159012 so you guys can contact him

Julie Leach
11/3/2023 09:45:32 pm


Are you seriously aiming on winning the lottery this season? Don't make it look hard for you. Reach out to Dr Ozigidon for his undisputed powerful Lottery Spell and make your dreams come true.

I admitted that life is all about sacrifice to make dreams come true. I realized this after winning the sum of $310.5 million. Yes! A whopping sum of 310.5 million dollars in 2018. Though It seems like yesterday because after all these years of being a winner of a multi-million dollar lottery it still refreshes in my head. My name is Julie Leach. All thanks to Dr Ozigidon because with his undisputed powerful spell everything came so easy, it wasn't by luck or chance that i won the lottery. With Dr Ozigidon powerful spell, my dream came true. He is popularly known for his active spell. ''If I had been told I would be a multi-million winner overnight I guess I would have doubted it but Dr Ozigidon made it so easy., contact Dr Ozigidon at [[email protected]] WhatsApp +2349054750112. Winning the lottery is truly beyond the physical and most people are yet to realize this. I have been so grateful to Dr Ozigidon everyday for the past years. Thanks to this powerful sorcerer. His Telegram: @OzigidonSpell


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    October 2024
    April 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.