The US-Drama “Sound of Metal” is a great feature-length debut written and directed by Darius Marder about dealing with unpredictable changes in life.
The film follows Ruben (Riz Ahmed), who is the drummer of a metal-duo with his girlfriend and singer Lou (Olivia Cooke). Together they are living their dream, touring the country and playing gigs when Ruben suddenly loses his hearing.
Marder tells his story in a naturalistic documentary-style and Ahmed gives an impressive performance with a wide range of emotions. The sound design is put to great use to make the viewer experience what it must be like not being able to hear. Other characters in the story were cast from the deaf community and there are several silent scenes that only use sign language.
