Released one month after International Deaf Awareness Month on November 20, 2020, The Sound of Metal by director Darius Marder is a profound drama that follows the journey of Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed, from the series The Night of (2016), a heavy metal drummer, as he experiences hearing loss. Originating from an unfinished screenplay titled Metalhead, by friend and The Place Beyond the Pines collaborator Derek Cianfrance, Marder took on the script, co-writing it with his musician brother, Andrew. With their experiences in the world of music and in the world of the deaf through their grandmother, the brothers offer a unique glimpse into a range of emotions, juggling themes of addiction, grief, and self-acceptance.
As the film’s title suggests, it starts abrasive and gritty, with an aggressive concert performed by Ruben, frantically beating his drums along to the singing of his vocalist girlfriend, Lou, played by Bates Motel actress Olivia Cooke. As soon as we cut to the next scene, we switch to a more peaceful environment in the couple’s RV. Almost entirely silent, the scene delicately contrasts the opening, allowing us to take in all of the subtle—often taken-for-granted—details of everyday life, from the chirping of birds to the melodic drippings of a coffee pot. One day, a high-pitched ringing takes over Ruben’s hearing, and through composer and sound editor Nicolas Becker’s immersive sound design, we experience moments from Ruben’s auditory vantage point as the world around him slowly deteriorates into a blurred mess of muffled distortion. Eventually, the sounds of the shower, the coffee pot, and even his drumming become nonexistent to him.
After seeing a doctor and miserably failing his hearing test, he’s told that he must carefully preserve his dwindling hearing ability. Ruben barely digests this, believing that he’ll be able to receive cochlear implants in the future, and against the doctor’s warnings, he goes back on stage—where the music is barely audible. Lou, after discovering the situation, calls Ruben’s sponsor, who finds a middle-of-nowhere retreat for recovering deaf addicts run by a man named Joe, played by Paul Raci (an experienced actor raised by deaf parents). We learn that Ruben has been sober from heroin for four years, hinting at a lack of stability in his life that is present throughout the film.
With a majority of the cast hailing from the deaf community, the film beautifully portrays deafness as something that doesn’t need to be looked down upon as a disability. Unlike some well-known actors who were born deaf, such as A Quiet Place’s (2018) Millicent Simmonds, veteran actress Marlee Matlin (Showtime's The L Word), and his co-star, Lauren Ridloff (Marvel's Eternals, 2021), Riz Ahmed spent eight months learning American Sign Language and immersing himself in the community, much like his character. As Ruben moves into the shelter, we see how naturally and warmly the other members interact with each other without a single word spoken between them. Ruben’s unwillingness to participate is a frustrating yet relatable struggle as he deals with a mixture of fear and contempt, unable to commit to deafness.
Joe, thinking Ruben has finally accepted his new condition, invites him to stay as a full-time employee. Instead, blinded by hope, Ruben decides to sell all of his music equipment and RV, using the money to go through with the cochlear implant surgery. When Joe finds out, he explains that he doesn’t want Ruben’s decision to affect the others, and asks him to leave that same day. Ruben returns to the hospital and has his implants activated, only to be disappointed in the results.
In the end, Ruben travels to Paris, where Lou lives with her wealthy father. Lou, like Ruben, has drastically changed, settling into a brand-new lifestyle. Later, at a party, she sings a gentle duet with her father, a far cry from the heavy, scream-filled metal she played with Ruben. As the song flows towards its end, it is suddenly distorted with static; our soundscape returning to Ruben’s point of view as he stares off in discomfort, feeling isolated in more ways than one—eventually leading him to realize they must go their separate ways. The next morning, Ruben leaves Lou and sits in a park, a cacophony of layered, chaotic noises whirling around him that resemble the overwhelming concert music from the beginning of the film. He suddenly rips off his implant processors, finally sitting in a moment of stillness and allowing himself to experience the full beauty of silence.
From blaring, heavy metal and jarring mechanical noises, to still and soothing moments, The Sound of Metal immediately captivates in the first few scenes—saying so much with so few words. Featuring a series of claustrophobic close-ups, isolating wide shots, and raw handheld shots, cinematographer Daniël Bouquet’s documentary-like filmmaking allows us to feel present. The film—cut by Madame Bovary editor and fellow drummer, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen—features slow, methodical pacing and stripped-away silence, immersing the audience in this life-altering condition with Ruben as we witness and experience his life-altering journey as he learns to find himself through his physical and emotional loss. Through its thought-provoking and heartwarming storytelling, The Sound of Metal has garnered immense praise, earning over ninety awards and nearly two hundred nominations, and beautifully highlights the importance of self-acceptance and overcoming devastating obstacles.
Alima-Sarah Masamba-Ndiaye is a senior majoring in Film at the School of Visual Arts. Born to a Senegalese father and a Congolese-American mother, Alima-Sarah grew up around a medley of cultures and languages that inspired her to always live creatively. She has been writing from a young age and hopes to become a professional writer and director post-graduation.