Sound of Metal Parent Guide

Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) is a drummer in an aspiring heavy metal band. For the last four years his life has had a comfortable rhythm: Bang your heart out at the evening’s performance. Afterwards, fall into your RV’s double bed with the lead singer Lou (Olivia Cooke). Get up the next morning, do your exercise routine, make breakfast for Lou and yourself. Start up the motor and travel to the next destination on the band’s tour. Then bang your heart out at the evening’s performance…

But that tempo comes to a grinding halt one morning when Ruben awakes to a droning noise inside his head that seems to be muffling the other sounds around him. Upon examination by an audiologist, it appears Ruben has lost most of his hearing - with no probability of it returning.

While that’s the kind of prognosis difficult for anyone to receive, it is especially dangerous for an addict in recovery. Wisely, Lou contacts Ruben’s therapist, who directs the panic-stricken percussionist to a charitable institution designed to help people with hearing impairments and substance abuse issues.

As remarkable as it is to find a community created for his exact needs, Ruben isn’t enthusiastic about enlisting. First, he doesn’t warm up to Joe (Paul Raci), the organization’s leader, even though the man shares his struggles. And Ruben really hates Joe’s rules that include attending the program solo, handing over the keys to his RV and surrendering his cell phone. However, when Lou (who has ample problems of her own) responds to his reluctance with some “tough love,” Ruben begrudgingly accepts Joe’s offer and the strange assignment to “learn how to be deaf.”

Despite the screenplay’s focus on drug addiction and metal music, the only substance use depicted is smoking and scenes with the eardrum-assaulting songs are few (so hopefully there will be no lasting damage to your hearing). Still, the script is full of grunge language (most often a strong sexual expletive), portrayals of angry outbursts that lead to property damage and implied sexual relations between the unmarried main characters. There are about three glimpses of a hand-drawn, naked woman as well.

Yet the movie’s most compelling characteristic is the way it is constructed. Sometimes you observe the action in a detached way, almost like watching a documentary. For instance, when you see the RV parked in an empty store parking lot you understand how insignificant and glamourless this road tour really is. You read the tattoos that cover Ruben’s body and you get a sense of his troubled past. Or you notice the scars on Lou’s arm and realize she has a history of self-harm. Other times you intimately experience what it is like to be in Ruben’s head because the film’s audio is manipulated so you hear the world the way he does.

Whether you feel like you are on the outside or the inside, you know it is going to be a challenge to make anything harmonious out of the characters’ discordant elements. A tale of broken people, it is hard to tell if their highs and lows are triumphs or tragedies. Although their plight doesn’t always solicit empathy, it will leave you with a cacophony of questions likely to ring in your ears long after the credits roll.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.