Sound of Metal * * * * ½

It pays to do a bit of research before deciding whether to see this film, (like read the fine print). I don't think too many people have, hence it has been languishing.  It should be celebrated.

Next time read the fine print

Have a look at the poster.  You'd have to assume this is a film on Heavy Metal music, right?  And you might pass over it because it's not your thing. I did. Then I was encouraged to delve a little deeper.

What it is, is a brilliant drama about a young man who is going deaf and the pain and loss that he has to struggle with. 

Ruben and his girlfriend, Lou, are a rock duo. Just guitar and drums, a bit like White Stripes but the other way round.  He's the drummer, she's the guitarist.   They are still establishing themselves.  Constantly on the road, putting out self funded albums, playing to small audiences.

When Ruben notices a deterioration in his hearing he gets tested, to find he is going to suffer from chronic hearing loss. 

Like an addict (which he once was) or like someone in grief, he goes into denial, but Lou refuses to play with him. She doesn't want to see him destroy himself.  

In a way the film treats his deafness rather like an addiction.  Something has to be done and only he can do it.  He has to take responsibility for himself.  Ruben goes to a refuge with a deaf school attached. The refuge has a philosophy that deafness is not abnormal neither can it be remedied.  One must learn to live with deafness. It appears that he has accepted this fact as he slowly fits in with the community both as an excellent student, friend, and teachers assistant to the children.

But he is still obsessed with cochlear implants, seeming to think that they will restore his hearing to normal.  The operation is expensive and Ruben must sell all that he has.  Again the behavior of the addict shown with an obsession that a quick fix is out there.  

In the meantime Lou has flown overseas to take respite at her father's home. Ruben joins her there and has to decide on a future that seems to be already defining itself.

The sound engineering is extraordinary, offering some insight into the world of the hearing impaired. The performances from Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke are outstanding.  It's unfortunate that such a wonderful film was hamstrung by the Covid19 cinema closures.  I caught it at the cinema in its final days. I'm told it's streaming now. You can catch it that way if you want. It's worth it.