“Sound of Metal,” directed by Darius Marder, tells the story of a metal drummer losing his hearing and his subsequent journey through deafness. “Sound of Metal” is nominated for 5 awards besides Best Picture, including Riz Ahmed for Best Actor, Paul Raci for Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.
The biggest strengths of “Sound of Metal” are its sound design and performances, which blew me away. The sound design often mimics what Reuben, played by Riz Ahmed, is hearing. As an audience member, you hear his hearing stop and every voice around him suddenly muffled. You hear his experiences with audiologists and technology for his deafness, which truly makes you empathize with Reuben. The standout performance of this film is Paul Raci as the deaf mentor of Reuben. His performance is caring and nuanced for someone who doesn’t want that care, and Raci pulls it off perfectly. “Sound of Metal” is up there on my personal best picture ranking this year, but I can’t see it winning over the big names of other nominees this year. It isn’t getting as much attention from other awards ceremonies, which may make it an underdog in this category. – Allie Remhof