OSCARS 2021: Sound of Metal (2020)

So a movie about heavy metal got nominated for a bunch of Oscars. The loud, rowdy, and aggressive world of metal is about as far away from the prim, proper, prestige world of the Oscars as you can get. I mean, not even “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” which was among the most acclaimed documentaries of that year, could score a nomination. Of course, “Sound of Metal” isn't really about heavy metal music, any more than “The Theory of Everything” is about physics. “Sound of Metal” is really about someone struggling to live with a disability, which is extremely inside the APMAS' wheelhouse. To the point where Daris Marder's film is, in some ways, among the more traditional Best Picture nominees this year. 

Ruben is a drummer in a heavy metal band, with his girlfriend Lou acting as the lead singer and guitarist. The two travel the country in an RV, finding a happiness of sorts on the road. Following an especially heavy performance, Ruben awakens the next day without any hearing. He attempts to carry on as normal but his deafness quickly prevents that. As Ruben is a recovering addict, Lou is concerned he'll relapse. The two travel to a half-way home for recovering addicts with deafness. There, Ruben struggles to adapt to his new way of life while saving money for the expensive procedure that could restore his hearing.

I'm not deaf but I do have tinnitus in my right ear. Most of the time it's easily ignored but some days, it's so loud I can barely think. So I have enough familiarity with hearing disruptions to really appreciate “Sound of Metal's” sound design. The film frequently takes us inside Ruben's head. Sometimes, his hearing loss renders all sounds as nothing but the distant-sounding murmurs. Eventually, he hears nothing at all but an undercurrent of noise. The sound design really shines when Ruben gets his cochlear implant. As it's being tested out, we hear the crackling sounds degrade or increase as the settings are adjusted. Even after the surgery, he has far from perfect hearing. It's extremely well done and an effective way to recreate someone's personal experiences. 

Most of the praise for “Sound of Metal” has been directed at its performances. Riz Ahmed does give a powerful performance as Ruben. Perhaps befitting the metal genre, his moods spiral between loud intensity and quiet understanding. When he first discovers his deafness, he rages. He yells in frustration and anger, even smashing thing. Who wouldn't, after having a basic human sense that informs their life taken away? Yet he also displays a calm sincerity later on, as someone who clearly thinks about his life and actions before undergoing it. It's emotional acting but not overdone either. The same can be said of Olivia Cooke as Lou, the two forming an affecting bond over their few scenes. Cooke shows the clear pain she's feeling as she watches the man she loves struggle. 

Earlier, I said “Sound of Metal” is almost a traditional Oscar bait type movie. It's about an artist struggling to overcome a disability and makes him a recovering addict too. Yet the approach is much more lo-fi than that label implies. Director Marder came to fame for the documentary “Freeheld” and “Sound of Metal” frequently takes a doc-like approach. There's many stretches without much music. Marder's visual construction is naturalistic. The film frequently avoids the big dramatic moments you associate with the genre. It's a quietly told story of a man loosing his hearing and learning to live again, despite that loss. It lacks the “triumph of the human spirit” grandiosity you might expect, playing out in a much more understated fashion. 

That's not a complaint. In fact, I rather like how “Sound of Metal” focuses on living with deafness, instead of depicting it as something to overcome. (Ruben's mentor, played by Paul Raci, even says as much.) Yet it is sort of weird that the movie goes so far out of its way to avoid the typical dramatic pay-off you might expect. After adapting to the deaf community, Ruben makes no attempt to reconnect with his music. The film just moves on from the heavy metal premise. Similarly, very little focus is given to his addiction in the second half of the movie. It informs his character but the fear or temptation of relapse never really comes up. Is it possible “Sound of Metal” was just too subtle for me? Maybe but it is weird that very little of the plot points brought up in the first half pay off in any way. 

Even if the movie doesn't exactly hold together as a whole for me, I can certainly admire “Sound of Metal's” strengths. Ahmed, Cooke, and Raci are all excellent. The direction is to be effective. Of all the Academy Awards the film seems likely to win on Oscar night, Best Sound is by far the most deserved. The way the movie takes the viewer inside the world of the deaf is definitely to be admired. But I guess I'm just too big of a traditionalist when it comes to structure not for one or two little things about the script to bug me. That's just how it is sometimes. [7/10]