Riz Ahmed is outstanding in this debut from Darius Mader (co-writer of The Place Beyond The Pines) about a heavy metal drummer who, after losing his hearing, is forced to re-evaluate his place in the world.

Ex-addict Ruben (Ahmed, nominated for an Oscar® for his performance) is a drummer in a heavy metal duo with his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke). The pair are constantly on tour living in their beat-up RV, playing loud, frenzied, and passionate music. Ruben starts to suffer from a severe ringing in his ears, which quickly gives way to deafness, throwing his life into turmoil. If he can’t recover his hearing, who will he become? In a group home for Deaf addicts, Ruben must choose between his new Deaf community and fighting to hold on to what has always defined him…

Marder uses innovative and experimental sound design to create powerful soundscapes that intimately give us a real sense of Ruben’s sonic journey and disorientation as he adjusts to life with less sound. Moving to its own unique beat, Sound of Metal is a poignant portrait of a man finding his way to a new revelation.

---