Many people will never fully understand the life of a deaf person and believe it is only a world of silence, but “Sound of Metal” contradicts that myth beautifully.
This is a profound film about what it is like to be deaf person. “Sound of Metal” about a young American drummer, Ruben, who loses his hearing and moves into a home for the deaf as he battles with his hearing lost. The film viewer vicariously experiences deafness through Ruben.
From the beginning, the viewer can feel rebellion, but very little peace. The movie begins with Ruben aggressively playing the drums at a concert with his band. His girlfriend, Lou, is yelling at the mic as they play recalcitrant metal music. Ruben was a former addict and was co-dependent to his girlfriend and lived his passively without full appreciation, and that changes after he loses his hearing and is forced to live with a deaf community.
Vital to the film was Riz Ahmed's performance as the main character, Ruben. A very important thing to know is that Riz Ahmed has a very different background in real life than his character. In real life, Riz Ahmed is not deaf. Ahmed took ASL classes for several months prior to filming. Ahmed is British, and he played an American character. Ahmed held a believable accent which is hard for foreign actors to do. As he played Ruben, I felt all his pain. There were many scenes where the character felt frustrated, angry, and sad which Ahmed portrayed flawlessly.
Many audiences do not understand what it is like to become deaf, learn ASL, and having to cope with eternal silence. However, the film teaches the audience there is a beauty to living in silence. From learning ASL to music performances, one can enjoy a silent world through sight and touch. There is no loneliness, and an abundant peacefulness. Another crucial part was how they incorporated real-life deaf actors and dancers like Lauren Ridloff and Shaheem Sanchez since many deaf actors and performers struggle to get movie roles because of their disability.
This film is great for young adult and mature audiences. Despite the profanity, it would be a great learning lesson for children as well.
Another incredible part of the film was the sound editing. The editor, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, did an exquisite job in sound manipulation. At the beginning of the film where it showed the morning routine of Ruben's life before he became deaf. This is important for the movie because the sounds were amplified to let audiences know the everyday sounds Ruben never appreciated (the coffee kettle, the radio, the humming freeway) before he lost his ability to hear. Nielsen masterfully changed the sound waves as Ruben little by little started losing his hearing until he went completely deaf. The film even revealed what is it like to wear a cochlear implant through Ruben’s character. As a person ignorant to deafness, I thought a cochlear implant was instant solution like putting on eyeglasses for myopia, but I learned from the film there is much adjustment required and it only to hear acoustic sounds through electrical signals, and it does not make a deaf person hear sounds like an everyday hearing person.
Overall, the film was very eye-opening and gives audiences a new perspective they have never known before. It gives a good and accurate representation of the deaf community. I recommend this film to anyone who would not only want to learn more about deafness, but about togetherness, cooperation, and resilience.
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