Amazon’s “Sound Of Metal” drama starring Riz Ahmed as a noise metal drummer who goes deaf and then struggles with his hearing loss and identity, is obviously a bruising emotional film, and is earning much critical and award season praise to back that notion up. There are many ways to look at the film, part horror movie—the fear that creeps up in that first act is terrifying— drama, addiction story, tragic romantic co-dependent relationship story (Olivia Cooke co-stars), and more. It can also be viewed as a movie akin to the five stages of grief. Ahmed’s drummer character arguably experiences similar stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and ultimately, acceptance, when it comes to his hearing loss.
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But as written by director Darius Marder, based on a story by filmmaker Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine”), “Sound Of Metal,” is also deceptively inventive when it comes to story structure. The film is arguably three different movies cut into three different acts.
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There’s the first, the noise metal milieu that segues into the horror of hearing loss that’s incredibly visceral and visually expressive; there’s the quieter, sadder, bluer second act as Ahmed’s character moves to the Mid-West to a rural shelter for deaf recovering addicts (where he meets the brilliant Paul Raci). Then the final act in France, when Ahmed’s Ruben character tries to track down his girlfriend/band made Lou, and they witness the tragedy of their relationship crumbling before their eyes. It’s a real odyssey, and each chapter of the film almost feels like its own mini-movie, even though much of its changes are still fairly subtle.
Writer/director Darius Marder is a sharp, insightful filmmaker, and in this exclusive clip from Amazon that we’re proud to present, in conversation with “Sound Of Metal” sound supervisor Nicolas Becker (a sound editor and designer), and film editor Mikkel E. G. Nielsen, he discusses the literal and metaphorical framing of who Lou is to Ruben, and how he functions as a person.
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“Sound Of Metal” is on Amazon Prime now; it just earned itself a coveted PGA Producers Guild Award nomination, and could soon find itself a multiple Oscar nominee. Check out the exclusive clip below.
