It terrifies me to lose one of my senses. Films like Sound of Metal truly leaves a lasting impression on you, making you re-appreciate what you have not lost. I thank all of those involved. There are a couple family members in my family that are deaf and it pops in my mind every now and then what if I were deaf and had to read subtitles for everything? What if I had to place my hand on a speaker to hear music? Or how will I wake in the morning to my alarm?
Placing myself into shoes without hearing would cause a lot of shock to me. Perhaps a similar reaction to what was displayed by Academy Award Nominated Riz Ahmed as Ruben. He was full of shock and denial from the loss of his hearing. In the midst of a tour for the metal head duo to rapidly losing hearing is a scary thing to behold. For living like a gypsy in an RV with his one and only, Lou, I wanted the best for him, to pull through and make it big somehow. Ruben was looking for a way to reverse the symptoms and take back his old life. Anything was better than living as a drummer who couldn’t hear his own beats. He was determined to find every way imaginable to fix the lack of sound hitting his ear drum. It’s not easy though and there are troubles with finding acceptance. This story is about Ruben finding his peace. And once it is lost, is sound really worth getting back? If by means you force something unnatural to a natural occurrence in life. This could only distort and fragment what you thought you truly wanted. Going back to the life you knew is a dangerous game, especially thinking picking up where you left off will be a cinch. But life rolls on and holding on could be an addiction.
Ruben goes through a spiritual, not a religious, experience when church bells ring to a sound of metal. Serenity is held in absolute silence. And some can not experience that let alone they sacrifice a moment for soothing silence through the ear canal. It is this experience that brings Ruben to complete solace and understanding. To finally sit, no more fighting to the change brought into his life, and so welcomes a new future. A fully new appreciation to the offers of life. Life can still be beautiful. It’s up to how you’re willing to drum along. Rock on.
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