Sound of Metal: A Review

by Mason Leaver

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. 

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. 

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.