Sound of Metal is the directorial feature debut by Darius Marder, co-written with his brother Abraham Marder. His past work includes a screenwriting credit for The Place Beyond The Pines, a sometimes overlooked neo-noir masterpiece from 2012 starring Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling.
The excitement around this film has been building to a substantial buzz in the last few weeks and it certainly seems justified with the release of its visceral and intense first trailer. With the ominous presence of a very promising 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes hanging large over the film, expectation has been ramped up further with the trailer generating even more hype.
Trailer Breakdown
Sound of Metal will focus on Ruben, played by the always sensational Riz Ahmed, the hard-rocking drummer in metal duo ‘Backgammon’, along with his girlfriend Lou, portrayed by Olivia Cooke. As Ruben starts to rapidly lose his hearing, everything in his life is thrown startlingly into turmoil. His musical career, relationship with Lou and past struggles with substance abuse are all suddenly in question.
The sense of tension created in this first taste of the film is exceptional and it looks like it will take an unflinching depiction of its subject matter, in what promises to be an emotionally charged stellar performance from Ahmed.
The story looks both intoxicating and yet intimate, with mesmerising cinematography from Daniël Bouquet, and impeccably immersive sound design throughout.
When can we watch it?
Sound of Metal will drop on Amazon Prime Video on December 4th, so will be available to stream from the comfort of your own (hopefully not fully locked down) home. There is a limited theatrical release pencilled in from November 20th at selected screens, subject to the ongoing pandemic restrictions of course.
In the current cinematic landscape, release schedules have obviously been continuously decimated throughout the year, but with the release of this excellent first trailer for Sound of Metal and a streaming date now finalised, this is further proof that there is still plenty to be optimistic about in the film world.
Words by Ed Budds
It’s still not showing on UK Prime…