Sound Of Metal Review
Sound of Metal is a drama film directed and co-written by Darius Marder. It follows the story of a drummer named Ruben, portrayed by Riz Ahmed, who loses his sense of hearing and his struggle to come to terms with his new life. Sound of Metal premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6th and was received with critical acclaim.
The film opens with Ruben performing on stage with his girlfriend Lou. It then shows their close relationship as they travel in a campervan while they're on tour. But soon their plans for the future are challenged when Ruben starts experiencing hearing loss.
After visiting a doctor, Ruben is told he has lost most of his hearing and that the rest will deteriorate rapidly. Struggling with his diagnosis and a history of addiction, Ruben is recommended a shelter for deaf recovering addicts. The film then follows his journey as he joins a deaf community and learns sign language. But when he seems to have found his place in his new life, the opportunity to have a cochlear implant challenges his acceptance of his illness.
I think the theme of self-acceptance is something anyone with a chronic health condition will relate to. Throughout the film you see Ruben fight to hold on to what he knows, reluctant to accept this big change in his life. The film demonstrates the high cost of denial, but also the importance of community and finding value in yourself, despite things not going as expected.
The use of sound to represent Ruben's experiences really helped to show the impact of his condition and will draw audiences into the film. Darius Marder shot Sound of Metal on 35mm film, giving it a gritty, authentic look with rich colour and a great use of natural light in many of the scenes. The way Marder displayed Rubens life at the start of the film, with few shots giving a sense of location until he finds the community at the shelter, was a great way to show audiences how his lifestyle and emotions change throughout the film.
Sound of Metal was nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and won for Best Sound and Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards.
Overall, I would highly recommend checking out Sound of Metal.
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