In Sound of Metal, a tale of sound, fury, and self-discovery, Riz Ahmed delivers an intensely committed performance as the volatile Ruben, who has found new purpose as a drummer in a noise-metal duo, playing blistering live shows with his singer girlfriend, Lou (Olivia Cooke). When Ruben suddenly loses much of his hearing, he is launched on a profound odyssey—through denial, anger, grief, and, gradually, acceptance—as he comes to understand what it means to live as a deaf person and to discover deafness as not a disability but a rich culture and community. Through stunningly immersive, Academy Award–winning sound design, director Darius Marder invites us to experience the world as Ruben does, capturing a sonic spectrum in which silence comes in a thousand shades.

For in-depth thoughts on Sound Of Metal, please see my colleague Michele Arbir’s review from its original streaming release here.

Video Quality

Sound Of Metal comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negatives in 2.39:1 with HDR courtesy of The Criterion Collection which provides a tremendous presentation that presents this film flawlessly. This stunning presentation offers a depth of nuance that most modern films cannot capture thanks to its 35mm origins. The fact that this was shot on film brings out so much more life in each environment, as you actually experience some texture in the interior of the RV or in the rural scenery surrounding the deaf community. Grain resolves naturally without ever swarming or looking clumpy. It is very refined but certainly not polished over and scrubbed up.

Cinematographer Daniël Bouquet captures some unforgettable shots which really wow on this format. From the opening shot of Ruben playing drums against a dark background, you will notice the deep, inky blacks show no signs of the compression artifacts or crush which plague the streaming version. Highlights are likewise more stable with blooming never popping up as a problem. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime with fine detail such as sweat and facial standing out. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but colors are suffused in a way that matches the aesthetic of the film. The movie has an overall cooler color palette which is represented with great authenticity. Nothing is candy colored or artificially boosted, just captured with integrity. There is no evidence of any digital nuisances throughout the runtime. The included Blu-Ray is pretty much a knockout on its own, but the 4K UHD Blu-Ray does allow the film to achieve its peak aesthetic thanks to a slight cleanup in stability and a touch more textural detail. Criterion has delivered what fans have long wanted with this one.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that really proves to be a winner. The film also comes with a dubbed French version and Descriptive Audio. Some may find the lack of a Dolby Atmos track to be disappointing, but this track captures the original intention of the Oscar-winning sound. The opening wailing on the drums really drops in with force in the low end as you get acclimated to the lifestyle they live on stage. This and other musical cues, along with the transcendent score, are featured impeccably here with an enveloping use of the surround speakers that maintains precise fidelity. Nothing ever sounds muddled or distorted in the slightest.

The sound design is one of the most precisely thought-out we have seen in a while as all of the sounds are positioned with narrative reason in the mix. The track especially thrives when it comes to environmental sounds and other manufactured sounds that mimic the hearing loss that Ruben is facing. The outdoor noises along with the ambiance of certain interiors like the party at the end make for a really textured soundscape. The track is more than just constant sound, though, as the creative team plays with intentional silence in really inventive ways which is able to come through in a way that transports you into the character’s headspace. Dialogue comes through crystal clear when it is supposed to and muffled when it is not. This is a stellar audio presentation that does not falter in the slightest. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

The Criterion Blu-Ray of Sound Of Metal includes a foldout booklet featuring the essay “Throbbing Eternity” by critic Roxana Hadadi in which she provides a great amount of insight into and analysis of the film that helps highlight the deeper themes on display, the connections to other works from the creatives and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Darius Marder and Derek Cianfrance: A 29-minute conversation recorded in May 2022 between director Darius Marder and filmmaker Derek Cianfrance, who share a story credit on the film, in which they discuss their initial meeting, their shared love of metal music, the band which inspired the dynamic in the film, figuring out what the movie was actually going to be, the importance of the addiction narrative, casting the film, the full commitment to learning sign language, the benefits of having the actors playing the instruments themselves, the personal aspects Paul Raci brought to the role and so much more that makes for an enthralling discussion.

Sound Design: A 25-minute documentary about the film’s sound featuring Marder and sound editor Nicolas Becker in which they discuss the qualities they wanted to bring to this sound design, experiencing soundlessness to get a base understanding of what sound means, learning the sonic language of the film, the collaborations with the Director of Photography, capturing a majority of the sound on site, and a lot more. This really shows how much thought is put into every single moment which most audiences might take for granted.

Music Video – “Green”: A three-minute introduction by Darius Marder in which he discusses why he got his brother to create this song for the film, the thematic meaning it adds to the film, the creation of the video and more. You then have the five-minute video which includes some unused footage from the production which adds even more texture to the story.

Behind The Scenes: A 14-minute FYC video created upon the film’s release in 2020 which discusses the origins of the film, the narrative and themes, the personal nature for some of these performers, and more that provides some nice moments that you cannot find elsewhere on this disc.

Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Sound Of Metal is a miraculous breakthrough for Darius Marder, who delivers one of the best films of the last several years. The narrative journey that the characters must go through is one filled with soaring beauty and crushing disappointment. There are many layers of themes to unpack, but at its core the characters themselves offer a lot to consider even on a surface level. Riz Ahmed elevates this film ever further with a career-best in a young career filled with jaw-dropping turns. The fact that the rest of the ensemble supports him so effortlessly only cements this movie’s legacy even more. The Criterion Collection has released a fantastic new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a flawless A/V presentation and some rewarding special features. This story is one that only continues to resonate further with repeat viewings, so you cannot go wrong with adding this to your collection. Highly Recommended

The Criterion Collection edition of Sound Of Metal will be available to purchase on September 27, 2022 on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.