Sound of Metal
Year: 2020
Rating: R
Length: 120 minutes / 2.00 hours
Movies have the power to give a perspective we might have no ability to understand. Much like the fantastic The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) gave viewers a chance to experience life through the eye of a paralyzed man, Sound of Metal (2020) was a revelation into the life of a musician who suddenly goes deaf. There are so many aspects to sudden deafness that Sound of Metal provided insight to that opened my eyes to the struggles of this particular disability. Of course, while this is the obvious takeaway from this film, the meaning is much deeper than that.
Ultimately, the twist Sound of Metal gives to the deafness narrative is the power of addiction. It’s encouraging to see positive handling of previous addiction through accountability, but it’s even more striking to see how addictions can take many different forms. Whatever gives us dopamine, we can become addicted to. While not as in-your-face as Requiem for a Dream (2000) is with the dangers of addiction, Sound of Metal is subtle with the lesser-known addictions. I never knew someone could become addicted to a person, let alone to the simple ability to hear.
Of the Oscar nominees this year, Sound of Metal is certainly the most artistic. The cinematography was very deliberate to show the moments of quiet, but the sound design made all the difference in delivering the emotional impact of hearing loss. You don’t realize how much hearing affects your life until you can watch a man struggle with not having that input while also “hearing” what he does (which isn’t much). If Sound of Metal has one fault, it’s that the focus on the art meant the story was a little simple. Sure, there are layers to its moral, but they all end up focusing on the same thing.
A revelation into the life of someone who suddenly loses their hearing, I give Sound of Metal 4.5 stars out of 5.
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