Sound of Metal Review

Sound of Metal, a film from Darius Marder (co-written with Abraham Marder) is a film that knows what story it wants to tell and then sets out to tell it. Now, that might seem like an odd description of a film, but think about it for a moment. How often do you find yourself watching a film or television series and thinking, “What are they trying to say here?” Well, Sound of Metal knows its story, understands the beats it needs to hit, and ties it all together with two great central performances and a sound design unlike anything you will have experienced before.

The film follows Ruben (the excellent Riz Ahmed), a drummer in a rock duo (he lives in an RV and performs with his understanding and far more fleshed out than I expected girlfriend Lou, played pretty perfectly by Olivia Cooke – I would watch an entire film just about her character’s journey) who realizes that he’s losing his hearing. It happens both slowly and shockingly fast. We experience his hearing flashing in and out and then, suddenly, it’s almost completely gone. A doctor tells him he might be able to receive cochlear implants (which would give him back his ability to hear), but their cost is high (both financially and in other ways that will be explored throughout the film) and Ruben doesn’t have the money. A recovering addict, Lou worries he will relapse in light of the massive changes in his life and brings him to a sober living home for the deaf. The head of the house, Joe (the exceptional Paul Raci, giving a nuanced and emotionally resonate performance), agrees to take Ruben in, but stresses that this is a place where deafness is not seen as a disability to be cured – a key element at the heart of the film.

While Sound of Metal explores how a man grapples with the loss of one of his most necessary senses (a musician, after all, is more in tune with that particular sense than your average layman), it weaves in a far more interesting exploration of deafness as a disability – something that I’ve never really seen addressed in a film before. Ruben, as a formerly hearing man now confronted with deafness, sees this change to his world as something that needs to be solved. Yes, the film shows him acclimating to his new normal and forming friendships with those in his new world. But he always has one foot out of the deaf community that is opening their arms to him, clinging to the hope of cochlear implants as a means to right the “wrong” he has experienced. In Joe, the film presents the other side of the argument. After all, cochlear implants are not a cure-all for every deaf individual for a variety of reasons. And, while the majority of the world is hearing and sees deafness as a disability – something to be sorry for, something not to want – why is that the case? Why does deafness need to be cured? Deaf individuals are able to lead full and wonderful lives.

It’s the conflict at the center of the story that sneaks up on the audience. We expect a film about a man learning to cope with his deafness while trying to gather the funds to provide himself a fix in the form of implants, but what we get is an exploration of deafness not as a disability to be cured, but as simply another aspect of life. While Marder doesn’t ask us to choose a side in the debate, he’s also clear that either side of the argument has its positives and negatives. The implants are not shown as a cure all (this is where the most incredible aspects of the film’s sound design come into play, as we are allowed to hear – throughout the film – from Ruben’s point of view, providing us with a brief, but heavily impactful, understanding of what life can be like for those dealing with severe hearing loss), but the film is clear that the choice to accept additional help to “normalize” oneself isn’t good or bad – it’s simply a choice. But, unlike in a typical Hollywood story, we’re never told to hold one above the other. And, unlike so many other films that deal with perceived disabilities, it’s never preachy in its message. Marder presents his story without a clear bias, allowing the audience the ability to weigh what they have seen and experienced and come to their own conclusions.

But this film, and its topic, would not work without deeply resonate performances at its core, and boy does Sound of Metal have those. Ahmed, who has turned in a varied and interesting career in front of the camera, proves himself to be a true leading mad as Ruben. Uncompromising and attacking the performance with gusto, Ahmed disappears into the role. As much of the film is told from his perspective (particularly with the sound design hewing closely to Ruben’s own auditory experiences), Ahmed is tasked with ensuring that we understand more than just what Ruben says or does – we need to get into his head and understand his drive. And we do, through the small moments we are allowed to observe. It’s hard not to root for Ruben to achieve all he wants to by the end of the film – although this isn’t one of those stories with a clear-cut happy ending.

But its Raci’s performance as the even-keeled Joe that truly blew me away. Unlike Ruben, Joe is a much more opaque character, albeit one who tells us exactly what he wants us to know. We don’t get too deep into who he is, but Raci establishes a trust with both Ruben and the audience throughout the film – we trust that what he says, he means. He is clear, concise, and wants the best for those in his home. But he isn’t one to suffer fools. And he will push Ruben out of his comfort zone as needed in order to ensure that he has the tools necessary to live his best life. It’s a masterful performance, with Raci carefully avoiding doing or saying too much. The performance is a study in stillness, never over the top, never spinning out of control. It’s a key balance to Ahmed’s Ruben, who tends to burn white hot and spiral, grounding the film and refusing to let the heat of Ruben tear it from its axis.

If you are looking to experience a story that is unlike any other you’ve seen this year, Sound of Metal is certainly it. With strong, unyielding performances, an exploration of a world most of us will never experience, and a complex, but understandable argument anchored at its center, this is a special film with something important to say.

Sound of Metal is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.