Sound Of Metal

Since i worked in health care for 22 years, i can tell you right now that i am thankful that i am still healthy. I could probably be more healthy, and eat better, but other than that no bigger issues. When you have met a lot of people in health care, and helped their ordinary day with different diagnoses, you learn not to complain about life. Why should i complain when there are people struggling with diseases, and have to fight everyday to survive? So i am grateful to be feeling good, and don´t find any reasons to complain. I remember one time i was listening to a lecture, where a woman who was paralyzed from her neck down to her feet, and all she could do was use her head. She could not see very well, but she had help from a personal assistant to help her communicate. It was one of the funniest lectures i have ever been to in my years of health care, she was absolutely brilliant. She joked about her being paralyzed, that sex life may be a bit different but still works, even that she was practically blind, and she had such a big heart that i really admired her personality. One of the things that i will never forget, is that she said she is happy where she is today. She did not complain at all, and imagine people who complain everyday that they are tired, have a bit of a headache. I think more people should be thankful for their lives, because you never know what could happen in the future. Since i mentioned being practically blind earlier, there are a lot of people worldwide with disabilities. One of the things i always say to people who don´t understand disabilities, is that they are just like everybody else. Just because someone have a hearing disability or eye disability, does not make them different than anyone. Speaking of hearing disability, there is especially one film i think you should see that is really good. And that is the 2004 British-Canadian mockumentary drama film It´s All Gone Pete Tong, from director Michael Dowse. This film tells the story of British music producer and DJ Frankie Wilde ( played by actor Paul Kaye ), who finds out from his doctor that he could loose his hearing, if he continue to use drugs and avoid loud noises. Frankie does not listen to his doctor and go on with his music plans, where everything falls apart, and he becomes permanently deaf. This is a very good film, that shows you how one man´s future plans can fall apart, who clearly does not take life seriously. Definetely worth picking up on DVD, if you enjoy powerful films. Since the Academy Awards nominations was released for this years selection, i heard a lot of buzz surrounding a film called Sound Of Metal. Nominated in 6 categories, the film won 2 awards for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Not knowing much about the film, i just had to check this film out. Is this one of the best films of 2021, or is Sound As Metal not as good as some reviews are claiming it to be?

Ruben ( Riz Ahmed ) is a drummer, drug addict and one half of the metal duo Blackgammon, along with the singer, and his girlfriend Lou ( Olivia Cooke ). They live in an RV and tour the United States performning gigs. One day Ruben suddenly loose his hearing, and everything falls apart. He goes to see a doctor, where the doctor confirm that Ruben have lost most of his hearing, and the rest will deteriorate rapidly. Since Ruben can´t play any more shows, and not do what he loves to do, he is clearly struggling to accept the situation. Lou manage to get help through their manager, as he finds a rural shelter for recovering deaf drug addicts. Ruben is not excited to go there, but agree thanks to Lou trying to help him. A long hard journey is about to begin for Ruben, to accept a completely different life.

Right from the start, Sound Of Metal grabs a hold on you and lead you into the world of music in a heavy but effective way. And that´s just the start, before the film really make you feel the impact of the main character Ruben loose his hearing. That scene alone where he finds out he can´t hear anything, is one of the most emotional scenes i have seen in a very long time. The frustration, the sadness, all the emotions coming out, you can tell actor Riz Ahmed worked really hard to capture all of these emotions, to make it realistic. Speaking of actor Riz Ahmed, i can honestly say that this is definetely the best acting performance i have seen this year. He is so brilliant as the drummer Ruben, as we follow his journey to accept that he lost his hearing, is definetely one of the strongest film stories i have seen this year so far. I can´t even imagine how i would feel if i was in the same situation as him, so to see him so angry is perfectly understandable. Just the idea of not hearing certain sounds as we are used to hear, or not being able to understand everyone you meet, until you find a way to learn to communicate by sign language, is a really long and difficult journey. And i have to say that this film really manage to show us that people with hearing disabilities, are just like everyone else. This is one of the reasons why i love this film, because it does not try and show that these people are weak, or can´t learn anything. They can do anything they want, and pursue their dreams. The community of deaf recovering addicts have several really powerful scenes, where you can tell that Ruben is trying to adjust into his new life. I have to mention that the acting is also really good from actress Olivia Cooke. This is without a doubt her best acting performance ever, and i really admire her dedication to make her character Lou so honest. Actor Paul Raci as Joe, who runs the shelter for deaf recovering addicts, also give a fantastic performance. Sound Of Metal is definetely one of the most honest drama films you can see this year, because it have such a powerful story. I especially think Sound Of Metal show a realistic portrait of drug addicts, and how they struggle to become clean and try and learn to live an ordinary life. To all of you people who complain about everything, watch Sound Of Metal and see that you have no right to complain. Director Darius Marder ( who was one of the writers of the fantastic film The Place Beyond The Pines ), manage to make a film that does not only show human struggling in a very emotional and honest way, but he also manage to tell a story that will inspire a lot of people not to give up, that there is a way to find your way in life, no matter how hopeless everything seems. This is definetely one of the best films of 2021, no doubt about that. A must see for all ages.

Rating: DDDD