Sensational performances power the moving 'Sound of Metal'

I'd been putting off watching Sound of Metal because I knew it centered on a character afflicted by a sudden illness (in this case severe hearing loss) and this is something I am perhaps irrationally terrified of. I've never gotten over The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (whose star, Mathieu Amalric, ironically enough appears in this film too), for instance.

And while I will concede that it was perhaps not the kind of feel-good, upbeat movie I should have watched on a particularly dreary New Year's Eve, I am happy to report that its not a depressing slog either. 

This is largely thanks in part to a remarkable lead performance from Riz Ahmed, which should be a serious Oscar contender in a surprisingly very stacked year.

He is incredibly intense, authentic and believable as a heavy metal drummer (and recovering addict) whose life is plunged into chaos when he starts to develop rapid hearing impairment. The movie doesn't spend a lot of time on Ahmed's backstory or slowly develop its central conceit -- it all happens very quickly, making the audience feel just a disoriented as Ahmed.

The film hits its emotional stride when Ahmed begrudgingly agrees to an extended say at a sort of treatment center/school for he deaf, run by character actor Paul Raci in another remarkable, scene-stealing performance.

I must admit to having been unfamiliar with the 73-year-old Raci. Although in real life he can hear, he is the son of deaf parents and so his performance comes from a very genuine place and it shows. There is something about his matter-of-fact delivery, creased yet warm face that is sublime and takes a movie that could have been sentimental and makes it something more sublime.

And I appreciate that the film takes great pains to drive home that fact that going deaf is not some kind of death sentence, and while Ahmed's case is particularly challenging (since after all he is a musician), it's clear that he can still enjoy a fulfilling life if he wants to.

Ahmed brilliantly plays this conflict and you believe his reluctant embrace of his predicament. An almost unrecognizable Olivia Cooke is very sympathetic is a slightly underwritten role, as Ahmed's band-mate and loyal girlfriend. The film's slow, quiet pace doesn't leave a lot of room for their relationship to be fully realized, but she and Ahmed have strong, lived-in chemistry that works well enough.

Ultimately, this is not light entertainment -- it will not so much tug at your heartstrings as it will trigger your empathy and respect. It's definitely one of the better dramas I've seen this year, and it cements Raci's status as an actor to watch and Ahmed as a major film star.