Sound of Metal Review (Film, 2020)
content warning: self-harm (character has scars prominently displayed), addiction, death by suicide (discussed)
Ruben is a heavy metal drummer. He discovers that he’s starting to lose his hearing. Sounds aren’t as clear as they used to be. He notices a constant ringing in his ear. Then, out of nowhere, everything is muffled. A visit to a doctor reveals he’s lost about 75% of hearing in both his ears and will continue to lose hearing if he doesn’t step away from exposure to loud noises. The stress puts his sobriety at risk.
Sound of Metal is a complex drama dealing with a multitude of issues at once. From the moment Ruben first visits a sober community for deaf people, it’s clear that this film is not trying to be some piece of exploitative inspirational claptrap. Ruben is told straight away that he has to accept that the community he is joining is there to support his issues with addiction, not fix his hearing. He may have pipe dreams of getting cochlear implants to return to his music career, but that cannot be his focus if he’s going to make it.
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. Riz Ahmed, who plays Ruben, is not a deaf actor. He learned American Sign Language for the film. Considering how many other actors in the film actually are deaf or children of deaf parents, it appears casting a name actor like Ahmed was the compromise to allow most of the cast to actually be played by deaf actors. Cast members have given interviews supporting the casting of Ahmed because of his dedication to actually learning ASL and taking criticism on set.
Could a deaf actor play Ruben? Yes. Would this film have been made with this budget and be pushed during awards season without a “star” in the lead role? Probably not. The one role is a tradeoff for a film that allows an ensemble cast of deaf actors to play realistic, nuanced characters in a story about deafness.
It’s unfair to just praise Ahmed’s performance in the film because the entire cast is great. The film is told from Ruben’s perspective, so large portions of the film only feature dialogue in ASL. This is not translated onscreen for the hearing audience for most of the film. Our understanding of the story comes from the performances of the actors onscreen. Standouts include Paul Raci as the leader of the sober house, Chelsea Lee as housemate Jenn, and Lauren Ridloff as schoolteacher Diane.
The sound design on the film is excellent. This story succeeds onscreen because the sound department does incredible work. The dulling of the sound to reflect what Ruben can actually hear feels natural. It’s built in such a way that you learn to pay more attention to the actions happening onscreen. Certain noises are louder—Ruben brushing his teeth, the clink of forks and knives, the pounding of a fist on a table to get someone’s attention. Unless Ruben has a way to understand spoken English (speech to text translators) or ASL, we cannot understand the dialogue once he joins the sober house.
In establishing shots, natural elements like wind and birds are dominant. These are the things Ruben can still hear, as opposed to the spoken words he can no longer understand. Learning the basics of ASL enables him to start forming bonds with the people around him. He has to put in the work to become a part of a community with its own language and culture. This goal of learning to be deaf is what keeps him on track and avoid relapsing.
Sound of Metal plays much deeper with these issues than I’m willing to go into here. The film does not claim to have easy answers. There are some metaphors used that I’m not entirely comfortable with at points, but I think the alienating effect of them is intentional. If nothing else, Sound of Metal can lead to some important discussions about representation in media.
Sound of Metal is streaming on Amazon Prime.
