A movie designed to win best sound design will most likely not win best sound design knowing The Academy.
Sound of Metal is remarkably mature in its telling of a very relevant obstacle, not sidetracking itself into many ambitious or premature excavations of narrative fantasy. It resides as a forthright observation of the deaf community, following Ruben who’s a metal drummer slowly losing his hearing. The film’s two lead metalhead lovers whom could’ve been cheaply used to arouse Hollywoodized stakes are rather advanced to dwell on a symbolic parallel between their need yet hesitation for fresh community.
As someone maybe too hung up on epileptic-looking movies and glaringly loud music, one of my biggest fears has always been losing that ability to absorb those arts, but if you somehow find yourself in a situation like Ruben’s and have already decided that hearing or seeing is all that defines life, then you’ve ultimately chosen to fail.
I would pre-order the Blackgammon album though. I was low-key really feeling that opening song they played.
Verdict: B
Burning the Celluloid 
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