A punk-rock drummer travels the country with his partner, playing ear splitting one night punk metal gigs. In Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmet and Olivia Cooke love their life roaming from one booking to the next in their Airstream RV. The opening segment floods us with primitive drum banging sound, perfectly setting up a story of a musician losing his hearing. Director Darius Marder's sound mix deftly conveys the character's challenge as his hearing goes from muffled to silence. A friend and music manager sends Ahmet into a program for deaf addicts, in hopes of helping him adapt. This struggle feels real, so real some wonder if the story is based on truth. I'm told the answer is not exactly, but it sure feels like the real thing, as it builds to a provocative conclusion.
