Sound of Metal


Sound of Metal is a 2019 American drama film directed by Darius Marder and starring Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Mathieu Amalric. It tells the story of a drummer who begins to lose his hearing.
The film had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019.

Plot

Ruben is a drummer and one half of the duo Blackgammon along with his singer girlfriend Lou. A former drug addict, he is sober for four years. Suddenly, he begins to lose his hearing. His sponsor makes him go meet Joe, who leads a deaf community. With the help from them, Ruben struggles to accept his situation.

Cast

In January 2016, it was announced Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts had joined the cast of the film, with Darius Marder directing. In July 2018, it was announced Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke had joined the cast of the film, replacing Johnson and Schoenarts, alongside Mathieu Amalric. A large number of the cast were hired from the deaf community. Before filming, Ahmed took six months of drum lessons. For the film, he also learned American Sign Language. The film was shot in four weeks.

Release

Sound of Metal had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019. It also screened at the Zurich Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Amazon Studios acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film the week following its premiere. It was scheduled to be released on August 14, 2020.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 23 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.18/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Without romanticizing deafness, Sound of Metal makes a case for acceptance and for embracing the inevitability of unpredictable change." David Fear of Rolling Stone praised Riz Ahmed's performance, commenting that "this film probably works best as a showcase for its star." Norman Wilner of Now wrote, "The assaultive, near-experimental sound design goes a long way towards putting us in Ruben's head, but Ahmed's performance makes us understand his character with a clarity that eludes Ruben himself." Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of A−, writing, "Ahmed's so believable that he keeps the suspense of the drama in play even as it pushes into contrived circumstances during the prolonged final act, and eventually takes a melodramatic plunge."

Awards

The film won the Golden Eye for Best Film in the International Feature Film Competition category at the 15th Zurich Film Festival.