A movie that is difficult to sit through and yet one that leaves you with a strange sense of serenity afterwards? A movie that is not light and breezy but moves along at a snail’s pace but leaves you mesmerised with the lead actor’s evocative performance? And a movie that makes you ponder on life’s priorities - what happens when you are stripped of something that you take for granted? Difficult themes to tackle and done so poignantly well, you fall in love with cinema all over again.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #DariusMarder’s #SoundofMetal streaming on #AmazonPrime. If you watched #TheReluctantFundamentaist by #MiraNair, you would have definitely noticed the lean, wiry, muscular lead with expressive eyes and a body language that was meant for acting. Yes we are talking #RizAhmed and what a performance he puts in here. I would urge you to watch this film only to see the man in action! Also known as Riz MC, he is an English actor, musician and activist.
Ruben Stone (#RizAhmed) is the lead drummer on a punk metal band. He and his girlfriend and bandmate Lou (#OliviaCooke) perform at gigs travelling and living in their beat up silver RV. Within minutes of the movie opening, Ruben loses his hearing without any warning. Lou takes him to a remote commune for deaf addicts and leaves for Paris so that he can recoup his life. The commune is run by a Vietnam vetreran Joe (#PaulRaci) who lost his hearing when a bomb went off nearby. Joe runs the place on the basis of a strong philosophy of acceptance of the problem. Rather deafness is the identity of the inmates and they have a whole new way of living basis this identity. Ruben finds himself sucked into the philosophy after some initial resistance . He sells off his RV and other personal effects to undergo a surgery for cochlear implants. His attempts are directed towards reclaiming what he defines as his life. Spoiler alert but post his surgery the cacophony of noises in his head make him realize that his life has changed forever and in an extremely poignant last scene he finds himself at peace with his destiny.
#SoundofMetal belongs to #RizAhmed. His eyes, body language and emotions do not miss a beat as he puts in a spectacular performance. In order to prepare for the role, he learnt drumming for six months and actually studied deafness. As I write this, I notice he has put out a tweet that reads “The Deaf community taught me the true meaning of listening, and communication. It’s not about your ears or your words, it’s something you do with your whole body, your attention, and your energy”. That scene where he is at the hospital after the surgery and almost willing the doctors to “adjust the settings” is brilliant for the manner in which his eyes almost will them to do what is required and you almost know the sheer hopelessness of it all. That shot from a high angle focuses only on his eyes and is perhaps the defining moment of the film for me. The scene where Lou leaves him behind and Ruben is unable to comprehend the separation is another superb bit of acting. Watch out for that one.
The transformation of Ruben from an all muscle, adrenalie pumping, high on tattoos and peroxide punk to an endearing, vulnerable and torn-between-ambition-and-reality man is fantasitc. What an amazingly credible performance this is!
A word of praise for #PaulRaci and his character here. The debate between deafness as an identity and almost a sense of individualism versus deafness as a problem that need to be combated is brilliantly set up. When Ruben tries fixing the roof of the building, Joe tells him “You don’t need to fix anything here”; the allusion is complete. In this world, fixes are a betrayal of who they really are!
The Sound design is the other novel hallmark of the film. Between scrapes, muffles and deathly silence, #Marder makes the audience get inside Ruben’s head and feel what he is feeling. I first tired watching the film on the Emirates flight screen and gave up thinking there was an issue with the audio. When i saw it later on my TV screen, I realized what an amazing experience this is . I would urge you to watch the movie with headphones on. The beauty of #SoundofMetal is the manner in which #DariusMarder creates a singular tension between silence and noise!
When Ruben finds his way to Paris post the surgery, he reunites with Lou. That night, her father plays the piano at a party and invites his daughter to sing along with him. And that is when Ruben realises that all he can hear is a confused set of scraping noises. His brain is deceving him to think he can hear!
When you have built up such a moving narrative, you really do not know where to end it. And that is where I would give full marks to the movie for an absolutely fantastic finish. There is no preaching, no advise, no finale. That last scene has an incredulous touch of serenity that leaves you moved.
#SoundofMetal is not your light and breezy watch, Sit down and watch this when you want to watch a true work of art and meaning, The engaging story, stark visuals and searing performance will leave you disturbed and touched. In this age of pandemic triggered changes, this one is perfectly apt for us to rethink our priorities in life.
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