Sound of Metal (2019)

When the 93rd Academy Awards came and went, I thought I'd never see all its Best Picture nominees -- hadn't wanted to see any of them -- yet here I am. I guess all those not-so-depressing others encouraged me. In case you're wondering about the date, SoM was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival more than a year before its wide release.

Ruben (Riz Ahmed) plays drums in a fairly popular heavy metal band. Almost overnight, he loses too much of his hearing to make sense of most speech. He ignores a doctor's advice to lay off loudness for a while, so it gets worse. Concerned at his stress and poor coping, girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) strong-arms him into rooming at a rural shelter supporting deaf people, especially those with a history of drug addiction like Ruben. Leader Joe (Paul Raci) insists on rather ascetic practices in order to cut off old avenues and develop new habits. It takes a while to feel anything like home to Ruben.

The Netflix description is just slightly misleading this time. It's a stretch to say that Ruben comes to see deafness as more of a culture than a disability. He certainly doesn't care to stay a part of it, as he does what he can to afford an implant, against Joe's wishes. Both men's reactions are understandable. Only in the last scene does Ruben seem to find any value in silence.

SoM reminds me of Nomadland for giving a look into a community I don't normally think much about. (Women Talking does too, but it's less of a peaceful slice-of-life.) I had no idea that deaf people would take interest in music if only for the vibrations. Some of them, presumably formerly hearing, make spotty vocalizations while signing. And Joe's methods would not have occurred to me.

From a cinematic perspective, the most distinctive aspect is that we occasionally hear exactly what Ruben hears, whether ringing, gobbledygook, mechanical feedback, or nothing at all. That's important to delve into his mindset at a given moment, and it explains why one of the attained Oscars was for sound. If you're unaccustomed to long periods without audible dialogue, rest assured it does keep coming periodically. (The ASL has no subtitles.) For my part, I'm content not to hear much of the heavy metal.

Ahmed went all in for the role, from wearing noise blockers to signing on set all the time. He probably would have won in a year with less competition, but Anthony Hopkins was tough to beat, and Chadwick Boseman could have pulled ahead as well.

The R rating is entirely for language, mostly Ruben's, of course. The only other factor that would push even to PG-13 is a nude drawing in pencil. We never see any of the discussed drug use, apart from tobacco smoking.

I still consider Nomadland the right pick for Best Picture, but SoM might well be my second choice. Few features kindle my interest in something real to this extent. I wonder if I can get ASL lessons around here.