As a Young Drummer Loses His Hearing, He Enters Another World

Riz Ahmed in "Sound of Metal"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

For a director making his feature filmmaking debut, Darius Marder has to be commended for showing an ability to immerse us in the life of the main character, especially when that character has to go through a significant lifestyle change.  In his new drama, “Sound of Metal,” Marder depicts this character’s experience through an authentic lens and presents their new way of life with all of the necessary details in such a way that makes this a strong entrance for Marder in the filmmaking world.

Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) is a heavy-metal drummer and former drug addict who performs with his girlfriend, Lou (Olivia Cooke).  When Ruben begins to lose his hearing, his sponsor puts him in contact with the head of a deaf community, Joe (Paul Raci), who helps Ruben become acclimated to his situation.

Ahmed brings in a heartrending, yet equally inspiring performance as someone who must move on from the life her knew before in order to adjust and make the best of what’s happening to him.  The panic and frustration that he feels as the realization hits him about losing his hearing is painful to witness, showing a person who exhibits so much talent but is then placed in a situation where he might not be able to use it anymore.  There are also the scenes of contemplation as Ruben must figure out how he’s going to move forward with his impairment, and the intense consideration that Ahmed exhibits during these sequences keeps us invested in his journey as we wonder what he intends to do in this scenario.

Cooke provides terrific work as Lou, a character who shows a strength in needing to leave Ruben at the deaf community as he tries to adjust to his hearing impairment.  She displays how much her character cares about Ruben’s well-being, presenting an effective picture of Lou’s unwavering love for him as they go through a challenging moment in their lives.  The scene before they part is one of the most emotional in the film, with Lou’s plea for Ruben to work hard at the deaf community showing the lovingness of someone wanting to put their life on hold and refusing to move on without their significant other.

The movie also includes several nonprofessional, hearing-impaired actors to portray the other members of the deaf community in which Ruben stays.  The standout is Raci, who plays Joe, the head of the community, and it’s a compassionate performance of someone who wants to do whatever he can to help Ruben and the rest of those for whom he cares.

The screenplay by Marder and his brother, Abraham, not only plays out as a study of how the main character transitions into a nearly soundless world, but is also about people saving each other in times when they’re lives seem to be falling apart and when we have to give up certain things in order to heal completely.  It’s something that’s explored not throughout the movie, but mainly focused on at certain points while providing enough insight for that topic.  When the film isn’t focusing on that aspect, it’s a compelling and eye-opening view of Ruben trying different methods in order to assimilate into his new state of being.

Before Ruben begins his days at the deaf community, the narrative spends enough time establishing the relationship between him and Lou, which helps to heighten the poignancy of their separation when Ruben begins his stay at the deaf community.  It’s not until we’re about a third of the way through the movie that Ruben and Lou, temporarily, go their separate ways, so by then you know how deep their bond is and how hard it is for them be apart.

Darius Marder uses subtitles throughout the movie, and they’re used several ways.  When the subtitles appear with the purpose of describing the different diegetic noises throughout the film, it’s a heartbreaking detail because we’re constantly reminded of the sounds on which Ruben is missing out, whether it be the leaves rustling, wind in the grass, insects trilling, or birds chirping.  This is another aspect of Ruben’s journey that allows us to feel deeply for him because it makes you think about how much we might take these beautiful, earthly noises for granted until they’re not there anymore.  Besides these everyday sounds, we also go through muffled, distorted noises and almost total silence, letting us experience what Ruben goes through as it becomes more and more difficult for him to hear.

However, there are also scenes that have an impact on how they don’t use subtitles.  These scenes occur at the deaf community when Ruben is near someone or a group of people as they communicate with sign language.  In these scenes, the lack of subtitles places us in Ruben’s shoes as he has trouble understanding what’s being said to him and around him.  This is an effective way to have us feel the uncertainty that he experiences when trying to become used to a new style of communication.

In a story about connecting with people and the world itself in the midst of unexpected challenges, “Sound of Metal” is thunderous.

Grade: A