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Darius Marder

Sound of Metal – A Place of the Kingdom?

December 3, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

Is healing a return to what came before, or is it finding life anew? In Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, a man has to decide what he will accept in his life that has been turned upside down. He discovers that what he thinks will make him whole may not be as good as he hopes, but he also discovers that there are gifts that he can tap into that will bring him peace and joy.

Ruben (Riz Ahmed) and Lou (Olivia Cooke) travel the country as the band Blackgammon, a punk metal band. Ruben plays the drums. Their trademark is that they are LOUD. Yet, when in private, they listen to much softer music. One day Ruben suddenly loses his hearing. When he goes to a doctor, the news is not good. It will not be coming back.

When Lou sees that he is beginning to return to an addict’s behavior pattern, she takes him to a farm where there is a community of deaf addicts in recovery. The community is led by Joe (Paul Raci), an alcoholic who lost his hearing in Vietnam.  It is a hard transition for Ruben. When he comes into the community, he is hyper-isolated. He can’t understand them when they sign. They can’t understand him when he speaks. He is more interested in getting his hearing back (through very expensive cochlear implants) than adapting to the world as a deaf person. His goals are different than those around him.

Riz Ahmed as Ruben in SOUND OF METAL Courtesy of Amazon Studios

In time, Ruben begins to learn to sign. He also begins teaching deaf children to play drums. But all the while, he wants more. He is always busy. He fixes things around the farm. But all of that is a way to avoid his feelings. Joe notes that his refusal to accept his situation is very much the behavior of an addict. Joe gives him an assignment: to go into a room with just a pencil and paper and write. He can write anything. It doesn’t have to be a story or even sentences. Just write and write and write.

The addictive behavior that Joe notes is interesting. It is not only the danger of drugs that Ruben must deal with, but the hearing life that he is trying to hold on to. It is hard to move forward when tied to the past. His desire to hear again—at any cost—is a barrier to finding something new.

I need to admit that when I first read the synopsis of the film as I prepared for AFI Fest, it wasn’t high on my list. But when I heard others who had seen it earlier rave about it, I made sure in include it in my schedule. It turned out to be one of my favorites of the festival. It is extremely engaging on an emotional level. Ruben struggles throughout the film, not just with his hearing loss and his addictions, but against a future he cannot see. Even as he begins to have some growth, he continues to be deeply troubled.

We also learn that this is in reality a spiritual struggle. That epiphany comes when Joe tells Ruben that he too needs to spend time writing and writing. When he can write no more, and there are moments of stillness, “that place is the Kingdom of God”.

That idea reminded me of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. When the prophet felt overwhelmed by his struggle with King Ahab, he went to the wilderness to find God. He wanted to whine a bit. As he waited for God a mighty wind that could break rocks came, but God wasn’t in the wind. Neither was God in the great earthquake or the fire that followed. But then there was “a sound of sheer silence. There the voice of God spoke to him.

We often overlook the spiritual aspects of the struggles we have—whether it is addiction, illness, or the emotional struggle of the COVID pandemic. We want things to be “normal”. We want our pain to end. We think if we do something, or try harder, things will get better. But sometimes, what is really needed is to stop and wait for the voice of God that comes in the stillness.

Sound of Metal is available on Amazon Prime Video beginning December 4th, 2020

Filed Under: AFIFest, Amazon Prime Video, Film, Reviews Tagged With: addiction, Darius Marder, deafness, heavy metal, musician, Olivia Cooke, Riz Ahmed

7.05 The Sound of Stillness in SOUND OF METAL

November 28, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

In Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed plays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who’s left traumatized when he suddenly loses his hearing. Unable to perform and looking for answers, Ruben becomes a part of a Deaf Community that welcomes him in as he struggles with his new reality. This week, we welcome Catherine Erskine and first-time guest Deb Whalen to talk about what it means to be ‘fixed’, dealing with trauma and the difference between silence and stillness.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.05 Sound of MetalDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Film Festivals, Podcast, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Darius Marder, Deaf Community, deafness, Paul Raci, Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal: Deafening Stillness

November 20, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Sound of Metal tells the story of Reuben (Riz Ahmed) a heavy metal drummer who hammers out ferocious sets with his girlfriend and bandmate (Olivia Cooke). Committed to his rock and roll lifestyle, Reuben’s world is turned on its head when, all of a sudden, a persistent ringing in his ears worsens until sound drops out altogether. Feeling lost and overwhelmed, Reuben seeks help from a rural group home that provides a community for the hearing impaired. After temporarily moving into the facility, Reuben is forced to re-examine the very core of what defines him as he seeks to move forward in the next chapter of his life. 

Written and directed by Darius Marder, Metal is an energetic but thoughtful piece that grapples with what happens when the things that we feel define who we are suddenly taken away. As his first directing opportunity, Marder (who wrote Place Beyond the Pines) challenges his audience’s perspectives and understandings about deaf culture and the hearing impaired. By playing with the film’s audio in various ways throughout the film, Marder allows the viewer to get the briefest of glimpses into Reuben’s world, revealing how difficult his journey has become. While the entire cast feels invested in the film, it’s Ahmed’s staggering performance as Reuben that carries the piece. As the discombobulated drummer, Ahmed demonstrates his range and courage as an actor, portraying him with a combination of restrained ferocity and humanity. 

Furthermore, the film is a beautiful exploration of the realities and misconceptions surrounding deaf culture. When he first arrives at the compound, Reuben is determined to find an answer for his hearing loss, viewing it as a problem that requires fixing. However, his interactions with the other residents, especially group leader Joe (Paul Raci), reveal a deeper understanding of the world of the hearing impaired. To them, hearing loss isn’t a problem to be fixed but rather a community and way of life worth celebrating. Despite the fact that Reuben feels he has ‘lost’ something, those around him are determined to show him what he has actually gained.

However, Sound of Metal speaks to more than the misunderstandings surround deaf culture and the hearing impaired. At its heart, the film also points to the healing nature of stillness. As Reuben begins to process his new life situation, he attempts to find solutions and fight his ‘illness’ as best he can. However, his most difficult challenge comes from Joe, who orders him to sit and be ‘still’. Though it sounds simple, this assignment is almost insurmountable for the control-driven Reuben. Nevertheless, Joe demands that he continue to try, insisting that it’s in the stillness that Reuben will truly begin to heal his soul. (“It’s in the stillness that the Kingdom of God shows up and it’s those moments that stay with you,” he argues.) As a result, Joe’s assignment points Reuben towards spiritual clarity as a precursor to true healing, as opposed to forcing a solution to his perceived ‘problem’.

Though it may not be one of the highest profile films to come out in 2020, Sound of Metal is far from a mere noisy gong or clanging symbol. Anchored by a potentially Oscar-worthy performance by Riz Ahmed, Metal provides new insight to the beauty of a community of people that rarely find representation onscreen while pointing to the spiritual realities that give life to our souls.

For audio of our conversation with director Darius Marder, click here.

For audio of our conversation with star Paul Raci, click here.

Sound of Metal is in theatres now and will appear on Amazon Prime on Friday, December 4th, 2020.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Film Festivals, TIFF Tagged With: Darius Marder, deafness, hearing impaired, Olivia Cooke, Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

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