The countdown to the Oscars is on. Buzz surrounds Riz Ahmed for his unbelievable performance as a rock drummer going deaf. Director and co-writer Darius Marder partly based this movie on his own hearing-impaired grandmother. This is a captivating film with an emotional power that will stay with you for days to come.
Synopsis
Ruben, a heavy-metal drummer is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing. When a hearing specialist tells him his condition will deteriorate quickly, he is forced to rethink his life. Girlfriend and bandmate Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks Ruben, a recovering heroin addict; into a secluded sober house for the deaf. She hopes it will prevent him from having a relapse. In addition, he will learn to adapt to his new situation. Once welcomed into the deaf community for sober living, Ruben has to adapt or try to reclaim the life he once had.
Direction
This film was not at all what I was expecting. It blew me away and now I know why it is critically acclaimed. And why it’s listed on 52 film critics’ top-ten lists for 2020. Nominated for six Academy Awards, so far the film has won four BAFTAs, winning in the categories of Best Editing and Best Sound. Darius Marder takes us inside Ruben’s world, utilizing astonishing and inventive sound design techniques. The re-creation of Ruben’s experience is extraordinary. You will notice every little sound and how much we take for granted our hearing. The cinematography is also good, and the tone of the movie is direct and straight to its point. In my opinion, Marder should have been nominated for Best Director.
Performance
Riz Ahmed’s acting was amazing. If he wasn’t up against the late Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, I’d say he was a shoo-in for the Oscar. His facial expressions were impressive. Ahmed showed there’s more to acting than just saying the words. His commitment to the role; learning ASL and how to play the drums all before shooting was also extraordinary. Born in London to Pakistani parents, Ahmed became the first Muslim to win a lead acting Emmy, for HBO’s “The Night Of.” Ahmed pours his soul into this movie and it clearly shows.
Storyline
The storyline moved along well and the sound, or sometimes the lack of; was creative and added depth to the story. Sound of Metal presents you with such an emotional story and superb character development. It provides us the opportunity to be more empathetic to those who are partially or completely deaf. This is the hardest film of the year to watch because I have the start of hearing loss having been diagnosed with tinnitus. My ears were ringing the entire time I watched it. I can’t tell you how many times I cried in this film.
The best part is the sound design, it really captures what hearing loss is. At some points, I thought my hearing was out because I’ve experienced what he has and thought it was me, not the film. Not being able to hear the birds, the trees blowing in the wind, the coffee pot dripping is scary. Mostly never being able to hear my grandson say “I love you Mimi” is a crushing thought. This movie will make you think twice before you play those earbuds loud again.
Grade: A
Everyone needs to experience this movie once. For me, I watched this twice and it reminded me that movies are compassion apparatus. It’s not just the elements of a story that make a movie but the Actor has to have empathy for the character they are portraying. One can see that in Ahmed’s performance. I give this movie an A and if it doesn’t receive the Oscar for Best Sound and Film Editing I’ll be really disappointed.
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Mamma, Mimi, Michele, call out any one of those names and I will answer. There are several hats on my shelf. My passions are photography, being outside, movies, tv, pop culture and anything haunted or spooky. People are my other interest, I love meeting new people and socializing. When I lived in Savannah GA I worked as a tour guide both haunted and historical tours. I met people from all over the world, that was the best part of the job. All of this I can write about too, that’s the beauty of being a writer.
