More than a year after premiering at TIFF to rave reviews, Sound of Metal is finally getting released digitally.
A sturdy drama written and directed by The Place Behind the Pines’ Darius Marder (a barrel of laughs, it’s not) , the film follows Ruben (Riz Ahmed, Rogue One), a hard-rock drummer who loses most of his hearing suddenly and irreversibly.
Considering his entire existence revolves around music, Ruben is reluctant to accept this new lot in life. His girlfriend/band mate, Lou (Olivia Cooke, Ready Player One), fears the unwelcome development may lead to a relapse (Ruben is a former heroin addict), so she convinces her beau to enter an isolated community for the hearing impaired.
Ruben is assailed by an assortment of impulses and desires: The drummer believes a cochlear implant may be the solution to his problems (his sponsors at the community know better). At the same time, Ruben discovers he has the capacity to adapt and even thrive, but stops short from accepting his condition. No matter how supportive Lou appears, he knows the relationship is doomed if he gives up on music.
While well written and directed, Sound of Metal is further elevated by Riz Ahmed’s superb performance and extraordinary sound design (if a movie ever deserved that Oscar, this is this one). The film excels at placing the audience in Ruben’s place.
Ahmed embodies the character’s complex and often contradictory emotions with ease. Ruben may have his heroin addiction under control, but his addiction to sound is going strong and the entire time he’s angling for a fix.
In spite of the lead’s intricate state of mind and the sophisticated portrait of deafness, Sound of Metal feels raw, unvarnished. Nothing about it feels fake and it’s unwavering even when courting controversy.
In the end, Sound of Metal is a story of self-acceptance and the costs of it. The two hours it lasts may feel taxing, but it’s a minor qualm given the myriad of accomplishments. Three and a half prairie dogs.
Sound of Metal is available on demand.