Sound of Metal announces the arrival of Riz Ahmed as a leading man. Wide-eyed and slightly manic, he plays the well-treaded role of an addict who has their life torn apart unforeseen. But this film is brilliant in its bareness. It simply lets the viewer watch Ahmed hit those familiar story beats. The result will leave a raw mark on you.
8.6
Ahmed’s character, Ruben, is a drummer in a metal band with his girlfriend, Louise (Olivia Cooke). Living out of an RV, their life at first appears unkempt but we quickly realise that it suits them both. Ruben, with his peroxide-blonde hair, has the look and feel of a man who has drawn himself into a laser-focus. Louise is revealed to be a self-harmer. It’s an interesting setup. The situation seems both fragile but steady. It’s soon revealed that Ruben is a former addict. Ahmed and Cooke have great chemistry.
But the film leaves this setting very quickly. Ruben rapidly loses his hearing . His first experience of it is palpable. The sound design in this film is brilliant. There are times where we are left deliberately straining to hear things, as Ruben would have to. In particular, the way the film conveys the sound one might hear through cochlear implants is brilliantly done and genuinely eye-opening. The harsh, oppressive loudness of the opening scenes starkly dissipates and the movie from then on feels near-silent.
Ahmed would not have been the first choice for this role but he completely inhabits the character. Wiry and unhinged, his sense of frustration is tangible. A scene where he is set up in a room with only a pad and pen and his thoughts is electric and almost frightening. This is a masterclass in understated acting.
In fact, this is a masterclass in understated filmmaking. The final act is steeped in tragedy. You will probably have a good sense of how the film will end at this stage. But watching Ruben comes to the same realisation is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. There is no apocalyptic twist at the end or surprise revelation. It ends exactly as we might’ve thought it would. Still, the beauty in how it is portrayed in the final frame is something that few directors understand.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 