Sound of Metal - Reviews

In a film that centers on profound loss, the audience is absolutely living with Ruben in what's left of his old world – and what it is becoming.

...an incredibly refined character piece.

A beautifully argued parable about the need to go where life takes you, Darius Marder’s debut thrives on the soul of Riz Ahmed and the bold creativity of sound designer Nicholas Becker. Together they make Sound Of Metal sing.

...a thought-provoking film that rises above what could have been a gimmick at its heart to become something painful and moving.

...Ahmed’s performance clarifies the drama and delivers the meaning of Ruben’s final epiphany. He gives the film energy and point.

...a film that deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience...

A small film that hits big, Sound Of Metal is a gem you’ll want to bang the drum for.

As Ruben's fear and rage begins to open itself to the unknown, the movie reaches toward something profound — finding real, furious power in the spaces between the sound.

...a profound and educational film, a poised portrayal of a man who thinks he’s lost everything, but through the power of community comes to find a new way of living.

...is just as much the story of an awakening – a man’s learning to listen, and to value a certain kind of stillness – as it is about the surface-level crisis of being suddenly struck deaf.

Ahmed, unsurprisingly, is amazing...

It’s devastating and hopeful in the same breath, anchored by Ahmed’s remarkable turn and the technical ambition at its core.

...Riz Ahmed’s career-defining role. He has the uncommon ability to show a brooding intensity and emotional vulnerability that reminds you of a young Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.

“Sound of Metal” is ultimately about what it means to march to the beat of a different drum when the familiar music stops for good.