Sound of Metal

A gritty drama with powerful performances set in two worlds we don’t see portrayed on screen very often...

Darius Marder's film captures, with urgency and tenderness, just how enticing the residue of the past can be.

Propelled by a distinctive style and a potent lead performance, Darius Marder's "Sound of Metal" builds a singular tension between silence and noise.

It's conventional, but it also breaks ground: Angsty addiction dramas may be overrepresented in the movies, but sensitive, lived-in portraits of Deaf culture and community have always been in short supply.

What keeps Sound Of Metal from wandering off into the wilderness is Ahmed's performance, which remains compelling even when the script loses its narrative footing.

The film is profound, frightening, uplifting and, yes, actually breathtaking at times, and you're not likely to take your hearing for granted anytime soon afterward.

British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed absolutely shines as Ruben Stone, an American punk-metal drummer whose life is upended when he abruptly loses his hearing while on tour.

A movie that doesn't just allow for silence but thrives in it, with Ahmed's eyes and body language charting the arc of his character.

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 film about the sudden onset of deafness that is too attentive to specifics of character and setting to ever feel like a rote disability drama.

This remarkably assured debut ... uses the medium of cinema to its fullest extent, both visually and aurally.

[A] mesmerizing debut ... "Sound of Metal" injects visceral, edgy circumstances with remarkable sensitivity.