This film has Academy Award Nominations for both Best Picture and Best Actor. Riz Ahmed, playing Ruben, gives a fantastic, understated performance. If it were another year, he might win Best Actor, but Chadwick Boseman was also terrific in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and he is almost a sure thing. Written and directed by Darius Marder, the movie reveals a man’s gut-wrenching journey from a catastrophic loss to acceptance.
Ruben and his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) have a good thing going. They are on tour, living in their tour bus, playing hard-rock; him playing the drums and her singing. Suddenly, Ruben’s hearing vanishes! At first, the deafness is intermittent, but when his hearing returns, it still sucks. Ruben understandably freaks out, since his love of music and career are in grave jeopardy. Lou does her best to be loving and supportive once the gravity of the crisis hits.
Ruben soon sees an ENT specialist who tells him that he has already lost 90% of his hearing and he will soon lose the rest. He has to avoid noisy environments to slow his impending deafness down. At first, Ruben is in denial and tries to carry on, despite his almost total hearing loss. Lou, however, wisely insists on cancelling the rest of their tour. To make matters worse, Ruben was a heroin addict who is only four years abstinent. A stress as horrible as this one could easily cause him to relapse.
Ruben, despite considerable ambivalence, admits himself to a program for deaf addicts. The program is run by Joe (Paul Raci), whose purpose is to assist the residents in accepting their deafness, rather than having them try to improve or overcome it. The remainder of the film is primarily about Ruben’s inner experience in the program and his journey from resistance to acceptance. Another exceptional aspect of the movie is the sound effects. Ruben’s difficulty hearing is conveyed via incomprehensible conversations, muffled sounds, variable volumes, protracted periods of silence, etc.
By far the most important reason to see the film, however, is Ahmed’s performance, since the movie wouldn’t have nearly the powerful impact it does if the role were in less-capable hands.
This film has Academy Award Nominations for both Best Picture and Best Actor. Riz Ahmed, playing Ruben, gives a fantastic, understated performance. If it were another year, he might win Best Actor, but Chadwick Boseman was also terrific in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and he is almost a sure thing. Written and directed by Darius Marder, the movie reveals a man's gut-wrenching journey from a catastrophic loss to acceptance. Ruben and his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) have a good thing going. They are on tour, living in their tour bus, playing hard-rock; him playing the drums and her singing. Suddenly, Ruben's hearing vanishes! At first, the deafness is intermittent, but when his hearing returns, it still sucks. Ruben understandably freaks out, since his love of music and career are in grave jeopardy. Lou does her best to be loving and supportive once the gravity of the crisis hits. Ruben soon sees an ENT specialist who tells him that he has already lost 90% of his hearing and he will soon lose the rest. He has to avoid noisy environments to slow his impending deafness down. At first, Ruben is in denial and tries to carry on, despite his almost total hearing loss. Lou, however, wisely insists on cancelling the rest of their tour. To make matters worse, Ruben was a heroin addict who is only four years abstinent. A stress as horrible as this one could easily cause him to relapse. Ruben, despite considerable ambivalence, admits himself to a program for deaf addicts. The program is run by Joe (Paul Raci), whose purpose is to assist the residents in accepting their deafness, rather than having them try to improve or overcome it. The remainder of the film is primarily about Ruben's inner experience in the program and his journey from resistance to acceptance. Another exceptional aspect of the movie is the sound effects. Ruben's difficulty hearing is conveyed via incomprehensible conversations, muffled sounds, variable volumes, protracted periods of silence, etc. By far the most important reason to see the film, however, is Ahmed's performance, since the movie wouldn't have nearly the powerful impact it does if the role were in less-capable hands.
The Sound of Metal: A “Cymbalic” Journey to Acceptance (Amazon Prime Video)
The Sound of Metal: A “Cymbalic” Journey to Acceptance (Amazon Prime Video)
2021-03-28
David
80
8
An Emotional Roller Coaster, But Worth the Ride!
AA Nomination for Riz Ahmed!
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8
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