Sound of Metal

Ruben is a drummer and one half of the metal duo Blackgammon, along with the singer, his girlfriend, Lou. They live in an RV while driving across the country to perform gigs. When Ruben begins to suddenly lose his hearing, he goes to a pharmacy seeking a diagnosis. The pharmacist refers him to a doctor, who performs a hearing test and finds that Ruben can only make out 20-30 percent of words he hears and his hearing will deteriorate rapidly; moreover, although cochlear implants may benefit him, their high cost is not covered by insurance. The doctor suggests that Ruben eliminate all exposure to loud noises and later undergo further testing, but Ruben continues to perform.

Lou learns of Ruben's condition and wants to stop performing for his safety, but he wants to continue. Lou is also concerned about his sobriety, as he is a recovering drug addict. They call his narcotics anonymous sponsor, Hector, who finds a rural shelter for deaf recovering addicts that accepts Ruben, run by a man named Joe, a recovering alcoholic who lost his hearing in the Vietnam War. Ruben leaves with Lou because they will not let her live there with him and he wants only the implants. Lou, anxious for his well-being, leaves and persuades Ruben to return to the shelter.

Ruben begins to meet the other members of the shelter as he attends meetings and settles into his new life. He is introduced to Diane, a teacher, and the children in her class, and begins to learn American Sign Language. Joe tasks Ruben with writing endlessly and sitting peacefully in an effort to make him comfortable with the silence, and confides to him that he himself will do the same, simultaneously. Ruben joins Diane's class and starts to connect with the children and the rest of the community. He gives the children and Diane basic drumming lessons.

So far, Ruben's stay has been sponsored by a church. Joe offers him a more permanent way of staying on and tells him to think about it. Ruben periodically uses the computer to see what Lou is up to, discovering her to be experimenting with her own music in Paris. He gets his friend Jenn to sell his drums and other music equipment, then sells his RV, and uses the money for cochlear implant surgery. Ruben asks Joe to loan him money to buy back his RV while he awaits activation of the implant. Joe refuses, as the community is founded on the belief that deafness is not a handicap.

Once activated, the implants allow Ruben to hear but cause irritating feedback that disrupts his attempts to regain his old way of life. Ruben flies to meet Lou at her wealthy father Richard's house in Belgium, where she has settled into a new lifestyle. Richard welcomes him and allows him to stay there. At a gathering, Lou and her father perform a duet, though Ruben's implants prevent him from enjoying it. Ruben and Lou discuss the possibility of playing music and touring again. Ruben notices this makes Lou anxious and tells her all is well and that she saved his life. She tells him that he saved hers too. The next morning, Ruben wakes up, takes his things, and leaves while Lou is still sleeping. Bothered yet again by the sound of feedback, he sits down outdoors and removes his implants' processors, enjoying the silence.

In January 2016, it was announced Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts had joined the cast of the film, with Darius Marder directing.[4] In July 2018, it was announced Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke had joined the cast of the film, replacing Johnson and Schoenarts, alongside Mathieu Amalric.[5] Before the casting, Marder had spent 13 years vetting actors who would match his commitment to the film.[6]

A large number of the cast were hired from the deaf community.[7] To prepare for the film, Ahmed spent eight months of two hours a day learning American Sign Language, two hours a day in drum lessons, two hours a day with a personal trainer and the remainder with his acting coach.[6][8] Marder wanted Ahmed to "trust his instincts" and did not allow him to review dailies of his performance or script analysis.[6] The film was shot in four weeks.[7]

Sound of Metal had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019.[9] It also screened at the Zurich Film Festival[10] and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.[11] Amazon Studios acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film the week following its premiere.[12] It was originally scheduled to be released on August 14, 2020,[13] before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released theatrically on November 20, 2020 and streaming on Prime Video on December 4, 2020.[14]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 208 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "An evocative look at the experiences of the deaf community, Sound of Metal is brought to life by Riz Ahmed's passionate performance."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Without romanticizing deafness, Sound of Metal makes a case for acceptance and for embracing the inevitability of unpredictable change."[17] David Fear of Rolling Stone praised Riz Ahmed's performance, commenting that "this film probably works best as a showcase for its star."[18] Norman Wilner of Now wrote, "The assaultive, near-experimental sound design goes a long way towards putting us in Ruben's head, but Ahmed's performance makes us understand his character with a clarity that eludes Ruben himself."[19] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of A−, writing, "Ahmed's so believable that he keeps the suspense of the drama in play even as it pushes into contrived circumstances during the prolonged final act, and eventually takes a melodramatic plunge."[20]

• List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing
• Hearing loss

• Sound of Metal at IMDb 
• Sound of Metal – Final Screenplay via Variety