Drumming News Network had the opportunity to pre-screen Amazon’s “Sound of Metal”, the movie is being released tomorrow, below is our review.
On December 4th, Amazon Studios is releasing the movie “Sound of Metal” staring Riz Ahmed (Jason Bourne, Rogue One, Venom), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel, Ready Player One), Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff and Mathieu Almaric. This film is directed by Darius Marder and written by both Darius and Abraham Marder. The press release reads in part: “this itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation.”
Although the main character is a drummer, that detail is almost secondary to the life story the film presents. It’s about two recovering drug addicts that find each other and make each other’s lives better. They’ve been straight for four years, touring in a 2-piece band together, writing music together, and are in love. It’s a solid story that really draws in the viewer. Riz’s captivating acting really help to feel what one would imagine would be the numerous emotions of sudden hearing loss, Riz repeatedly carries the scene without any sound or actors. Ultimately, it’s a story of the accepting of one’s strengths and challenges.
This film had realism to it. The way they lived on the road was much better than most bands, but the performances and behind-the-scenes of the tedium of DIY touring were well captured. Riz Ahmed’s character Ruben Stone had “Please kill me” tattooed on his chest and “Scumbag” on his stomach, while Olivia Cooke’s character Lou had visible scars on her arm from cutting. These were just some of the elements used to establish their character and struggles.
Riz Ahmed’s performance felt authentic. Through Ahmed’s acting and the cinematography, the viewer really felt his emotions as fear set in with the realization of hearing loss, in addition to creating and playing music. Later in the film when he has the opportunity to join a community that helps him to accept his new life, we experience with him the emotions of a sudden life change and initial acceptance of his new future. Riz Ahmed gave a captivating performance throughout the film, going the extra mile to learn how to play drums for this role as well as learning sign language; he really put himself into it. Unlike many actors who portray a drummer, he looks authentic for the music he is performing.
Director Darius Marder created a fantastic film and really had a vision for telling this story. The film pivots from an almost documentary style of filming that gives a first-person experience of struggling in a DIY band, then transitions into Ruben’s life seamlessly. This story is written and directed so well that when sign language is being used, the story is still clearly understood. Marder uses silence and intermittent sounds as the soundtrack, a very creative idea that was expertly executed. That silence was used to raise awareness of scenes and at times sound is augmented to experience hearing loss at different stages. This technique really draws the viewer into experiencing what the various characters are going through.
Personally, I loved this film. It touches upon the healing power of rhythm, and the community of it. Drumming is used as a tool to aid in communication and the development of relationships and community. All of the actors were fantastic, purposeful and helped to move the story forward. The only thing I would have liked to see more of was how Ruben used rhythm to open up relationships and bring together a deaf community.
I need to include some drummer-geek stuff. Ruben played a Tama 4-piece set with Zildjian cymbals. It was a left-handed and slightly unorthodox set up that left me wondering if it was set up that way to get benefit camera angles. There were two primary camera angles used during the performance from behind Riz. The alignment of drums allowed us to view the complete set up and performance while allowing opportunities for a nice two-shot.
You need to see this film. “Sound of Metal” premiers this Friday December 4th on Amazon. It is rated R and has a runtime of 130 minutes. The acting and storytelling are perfectly matched to maximize the experience of a fantastic story.
Paul Rogne – Drumming News Network
