Sound of Metal 2020

Another good strong film that I caught the other day on the Moma virtual streaming site. A gift to members for sure. It's an old fashioned movie about trials, tribulations and overcoming them. This time its about a hard rock musician who is going deaf. No reasons are given, and very little is thrown at us about his background or his partner and girlfriend in the rock band they are in, except they are both recovering addicts. The musician is beautifully played by Riz Ahmed who I know from his strong Emmy winning performance in "The Night Of" from a few years back, and he doesn't disappoint here. He's on edge, a live wire and the film is about his journey here and there to deal with his encroaching deafness. Its a nervous movie, sad and it kept me on edge for its entire short running time. Ahmed is nominated for an Oscar as is the surprise supporting peformance by the unknown Paul Raci who plays the director of a program for deaf people young and old who he believes should come to gripes with their deafness as he has and not try to recover their hearing through medical treatments and expensive surgery. That is the main conflict between him and Ahmed. Playing his love interest is the very good Olivia Cooke and in a brief role as her father is the always welcomed Mathieu Amalric. This is not a big or earth shattering film, but a quiet one in keeping with its subject. I think you will like it.

Like

Comment

Share