Review of Sound of Metal (2020) by Ahmedaiman1999 — 24 Mar 2021

While the craftsmanship of sound design is nothing short of excellent, it's nothing more than practical. It's by no means exceptional, but that doesn't take away anything from its value and efficiency that, in part, rendered this movie a truly immersive experience. It's Riz Ahmed's bravura performance, though, that gives Sound of Metal resonance that, in turn, made Ruben one of the most relatable movie characters I've witnessed in recent memory. His ability to reflect his fluctuating feelings throughout the movie and how he perceives every phase in his new life is simply astonishing. The aching experience Ruben goes through demands a real acting talent to make the audience emotionally connected to the protagonist, but Ahmed proved he's not just a talented actor but also one who's in a total command of his craft. For if it's hard to make the viewer feel what his character feels, it's even harder to transport its mental state to the audience. Here, we don't only get the sense of loss and being stripped of everything that forms every inch of Ruben in a flicker, nor only do we only understand his pressing need to regain what he lost—especially since the possibility hovering in the air—but we see him grappling with the dilemma of whether he should continue his journey of adapting to his new condition as if it was the norm or he should keep clutching onto the flicker of hope that definitely wouldn't help in case of it turned out to be a mere mirage.

Furthermore, the movie also excels in aspects other than its nuanced portrait of its main character, namely is its exploration of deaf community that truly offers new insights. That's mostly because of the effort shown in the meticulous attention to its essential components, most notably the sign language. However, Paul Raci played a major part in that by portraying the leader of this community and a mentor for Ruben. Through his facial expressions during conversations with Ruben, he delineates the professional duties such an occupation demands. We see him monitoring Ruben's progress and interfering according to his understanding of Ruben's character in particular. As for Olivia Cooke, she further proves she's a remarkable young talent that yet to bloom. Playing Ruben's bandmate and girlfriend Lou, she managed to prove how important she's to Ruben as his most great and precious loss and equally as a great help for him to get a better sense of what he has lost and how to cope with that.

The acting clinic these three immense talents put on here left an indelible impression on me, but disregarding the technical quality would make absolutely no sense. Besides the exquisite sound design, the highly-articulate cinematography truly adds up to the experience. If there's only one issue I have about this movie it would be its failure to maintain the same dramatic heft that was in its first half. As the focus on Ruben's progression through his medical recovery and its consequences slightly overpowered the emotional quality, and hence there was a bit of it lost that even the wrap-up failed to fully retrieve. (8.