The Sound of Metal– Extraordinary and Unexpected

Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) and his partner, Lou Berger (Olivia Cooke), live in an RV they drive around the country freelancing with heavy metal bands. She plays bass and sings, he plays punk drums. The pair rescued one another from addiction and though loosey goosey in the rest of their lives, are deeply committed.

Ruben experiences tinnitus and starts to have trouble with his hearing. He’s diagnosed with sudden onset hearing loss from ruptured eardrums = imminent deafness. Cochlear implants may help, but are prohibitively expensive and there’s no guarantee. Against medical advice, the musician continues playing until everything goes almost silent.

The film parenthetically lets us hear only what Ruben does, which is to say, static and undulating wordless sound. It’s brave, unnerving, and innovative. Post production mixing led by Mikkel Nielsen took twenty-three weeks. In interviews, Ahmed revealed that he wore auditory blockers inside his ear canal that emitted white noise so he couldn’t hear anything, including the sound of his own voice. Actress Olivia Cooke was never told when he couldn’t hear what she did or what he would be hearing. She reacted as Lou might.

For eight months, the actor took drum lessons two hours a day and studied American Sign Language. His ASL coach told him words can cover up feelings, which changed his approach to the role. Ahmed found himself more emotional when signing. He worked out with a trainer and jettisoned a London accent. Bleached blonde hair, faux tattoos – including “Kill Me” across his chest – and a sinewy six pack completed the director’s vision.

After American breakout in Nightcrawler, and an Emmy win as a Rikers inmate and murder defendant in The Night Of, Ahmed is being further recognized. The actor inhabits this role.

Lou is understandably alarmed, not only for Ruben’s future, but also for the present in which he might revert to alcohol or drugs. From Narcotics Anonymous, she gets the name of a small, rural community of deaf recovering addicts run by pony-tailed Vietnam Vet, Joe (Paul Raci). Its residents are played by deaf people. Lou is not allowed to stay. Secretly checking up on her online (against house rules), Ruben discovers she’s continuing her own musical pursuits.

Ruben gradually learns to sign in a neighboring class for deaf children. He then teaches the kids to drum. Much to his surprise, the musician enjoys it as much as they do. He begins to communicate with his peers at meals and tries to meditate, but remains distracted. Joe offers him a job working with the kids if he decides to stay when church funding runs out, but Ruben has other plans. It’s clear he considers deafness a handicap, something anathema to the group. Joe regretfully asks him to leave.

At some sacrifice, Ruben finds a way to pay for the operation and goes to see Lou. She still loves him, but neither their getting back together nor the surgery work out as he hopes. At the end, the character must learn to live with himself.

The film was shot consecutively in four weeks on a limited budget. It’s garnered Academy Award buzz for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound and Best Screenplay.

The Sound of Metal Directed and Co-written by Darius Marder; Co-written by Abraham Marder

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios