Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Sound of Metal

Play trailer 2:36 Poster for Sound of Metal R 2020 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 287 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.
Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

Where to Watch

Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal

What to Know

Critics Consensus

An evocative look at the experiences of the deaf community, Sound of Metal is brought to life by Riz Ahmed's passionate performance.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Christina Newland iNews.co.uk 09/23/2024
4/5
Sound of Metal is thoughtful in its refusal to offer pat solutions for complex and changeable medical circumstances, and immersive without being exploitative, never suggesting that it represents any monolithic experience of disability. Go to Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times 04/16/2021
4/5
A drama that's as visceral and hard-hitting as its protagonist's drum solos. Go to Full Review Linda Marric The Jewish Chronicle 04/16/2021
5/5
Marder does away with the stigma attached to disabilities, choosing to represent them as differences rather than handicaps. Go to Full Review Julian Singleton Cinapse Jul 11
it’s a film whose intentions are handicapped by its own ableist perspective, whether or not such beliefs are intentionally or genuinely held. Go to Full Review Brendan Cassidy InSession Film 07/09/2024
What the film gets so right is that it’s not about fixing your physical flaws, but fixing your interpretation of those flaws... Go to Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Movie Buff 07/04/2024
A
Usually, mainstream films depict afflictions and impairments as things that need to be fixed to make the person’s life whole again. “Sound of Metal,” conversely, makes sure that the objectivity stays intact. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
David S. 04/04/2021 The unwanted journey of the main character's new life was honest and rough and soul touching. Not to mention the film telling the story not often known to people outside the deaf community of the social & educational services/sub communities within the the larger deaf community. See more Roger H 03/28/2021 Great movie that missed 5 stars due to a few dragging moments. See more Alexandra B 03/26/2021 I found this film to be flawless and deeply moving. Incredible experience!! See more Elaine T. B 03/24/2021 Interesting - very real See more Pat Cuccio patd1227 11/22/2020 Superb acting Story line was incredible Addict in recovery-loss of hearing-new beginnings See more Timothy P @Sundaes 2d An incredibly frustrating watch--exactly as intended. The main character was a heroin addict who went clean for 4 years before losing his hearing. It naturally causes grief for him, a drummer, and his partner. There are many controversial events, decisions, and opinions held in the movie, but all of it feels real: human struggles, human idiocy, human miscommunication. The themes and lessons involve acceptance, identity, and addiction. It's fine to be deaf, and it's fine to get implants. Neither is wrong, and the movie makes no stance. The message is elsewhere. The main character struggles to adapt and craves the past, when reality has become irreversible, leading to much of the drama that appears. At the end of the film, he accepts where his newfound life circumstances (including the bullshit he's self-inflicted). While I hated watching the film, I cannot deny that the film is executed very well. It's nuanced, beautiful, and painful, perfect in its imperfections. Highly recommend. See more Read all reviews
Sound of Metal

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Darius Marder

Director

Riz Ahmed

Ruben

Olivia Cooke

Lou

Paul Raci

Joe

Mathieu Amalric

Richard Berger

Michael Tow

Pharmacist

Movie Clips

View All

Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal: Movie Clip - I Can't Hear Anything Sound of Metal: Movie Clip - I Can't Hear Anything 1:16 View more videos

More Like This

View All
Una 76% 50% Una Watchlist TRAILER for Una The Never List 60% 100% The Never List Watchlist TRAILER for The Never List To Leslie 93% 86% To Leslie Watchlist TRAILER for To Leslie Marriage Story 95% 85% Marriage Story Watchlist TRAILER for Marriage Story An Imperfect Murder 40% 9% An Imperfect Murder Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2020 Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2021 Oscar Winners: Our Final Picks for the 93rd Academy Awards Who’s Going to Win Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 Oscars?
View All

Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal: Trailer 1 Sound of Metal: Trailer 1 2:36 Sound of Metal: Teaser Trailer Sound of Metal: Teaser Trailer 0:52 View more videos
View All

Sound of Metal

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.
Director
Darius Marder
Producer
Bill Benz
Screenwriter
Darius Marder
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Production Co
Caviar, Flat 7 Productions, Ward Four
Rating
R (Language Throughout|Brief Nude Images)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 20, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 4, 2020
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now