Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal is a 2019 American drama film directed by Darius Marder and starring Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Mathieu Amalric. It tells the story of a drummer who begins to lose his hearing.

Sound of Metal
Directed by	Darius Marder
Produced by	Bert Hamelinck Sacha Ben Harroche Bill Benz Cathy Benz
Screenplay by	Darius Marder Abraham Marder
Story by	Derek Cianfrance
Starring	Riz Ahmed Olivia Cooke Mathieu Amalric
Music by	Nicolas Becker Abraham Marder
Cinematography	Daniël Bouqet
Edited by	Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
Production company	Caviar Ward Four
Distributed by	Amazon Studios
Release date	September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06) (TIFF)
Running time	130 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

The film had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019.

Plot

Ruben is a drummer and one half of the duo Blackgammon along with his singer girlfriend Lou. A former drug addict, he is sober for four years. Suddenly, he begins to lose his hearing. His sponsor makes him go meet Joe, who leads a deaf community. With the help from them, Ruben struggles to accept his situation.

Cast

• Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone
• Olivia Cooke as Lou
• Paul Raci as Joe
• Lauren Ridloff as Diane
• Mathieu Amalric as Richard Berger

Production

In January 2016, it was announced Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts had joined the cast of the film, with Darius Marder directing.[2] 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.[3] A large number of the cast were hired from the deaf community.[4] Before filming, Ahmed took six months of drum lessons.[5] For the film, he also learned American Sign Language.[5] The film was shot in four weeks.[4]

Release

Sound of Metal had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019.[6] It also screened at the Zurich Film Festival[7] and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.[8] Amazon Studios acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film the week following its premiere.[9] It was originally scheduled to be released on August 14, 2020.[10]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 23 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.18/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]

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."[13] David Fear of Rolling Stone praised Riz Ahmed's performance, commenting that "this film probably works best as a showcase for its star."[14] 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."[15] 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."[16]

Awards

The film won the Golden Eye for Best Film in the International Feature Film Competition category at the 15th Zurich Film Festival.[17][18]

See also

• List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing

References

1. "Sound of Metal". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
2. Fleming Jr, Mike (January 22, 2016). "Dakota Johnson & Matthias Schoenaerts Team For 'The Sound Of Metal'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
3. Kroll, Justin (July 20, 2018). "Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke to Star in Music Drama 'Sound of Metal'". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
4. Clement, Nick (September 7, 2019). "Marder's Riz Ahmed-Starring 'Sound of Metal' Explores Deaf Identity". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
5. Blyth, Antonia (September 5, 2019). "In The "Profound & Universal" 'Sound Of Metal' Riz Ahmed Is A Drummer Facing Hearing Loss – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
6. Cohn, Eric (August 7, 2019). "Julie Delpy Made a Genetic Thriller and Riz Ahmed Is a Heavy Metal Drummer: TIFF Platform Highlights". IndieWire. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
7. "Sound of Metal". Zurich Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
8. "Sound of Metal". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
9. Lang, Brent; Donnelly, Matt (September 12, 2019). "Toronto: Amazon Nabs 'Sound of Metal' With Riz Ahmed". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
10. "Sound of Metal". The Numbers. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
11. "Sound of Metal (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
12. "Sound of Metal". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
13. DeFore, John (September 8, 2019). "'Sound of Metal': Film Review | TIFF 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
14. Fear, David (September 7, 2019). "Toronto 2019: 'Sound of Metal' Gives Riz Ahmed a Perfect Showcase". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
15. Wilner, Norman (September 11, 2019). "TIFF review: Sound Of Metal". Now. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
16. Kohn, Eric (September 7, 2019). "'Sound of Metal' Review: Riz Ahmed Is Brilliant as a Heavy Metal Drummer Who Goes Deaf". IndieWire. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
17. "The Awards of the 15th Zurich Film Festival". Zurich Film Festival. October 5, 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
18. Don, Muriel Del (October 7, 2019). "Record audience numbers for the Zurich Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved October 28, 2019.

External links

• Sound of Metal on IMDb