Sound of Metal

With its focus on characters, emotions, and ideology, this powerful drama with great performances easily overcomes its few flaws to drum up enormous empathy and heartbreak. The feature directing debut of Darius Marder, who co-wrote The Place Beyond the Pines, Sound of Metal uses a rather drab, realistic palette that matches Ruben's rock-rebel sensibility (his wardrobe consists entirely of battered band-logo shirts and hoodies). There may be one scene too many of handheld cameras capturing moments of brooding. But the actors immerse themselves into the movie's world with total commitment. Ahmed, unsurprisingly, is amazing, though his best work isn't so much the rage that Ruben expresses about his deafness but the earlier scenes of existential terror when he first realizes what's happening to him.

Another standout is Raci, who brings a powerful weight and history to Joe (it turns out that he's an actual veteran and the child of deaf parents, and he plays in a band that performs in ASL). His signing is almost like a dance. Another masterstroke is the movie's sound design, which brilliantly suggests what it might be like in Ruben's head, both muffled and stuffy in the early scenes and then using a buzzing, tinny sound to replicate the effect of the implants. (The movie's title likely has a dual meaning.) The post-implant scenes are the most heartbreaking in Sound of Metal, but its conclusion, both ambiguous and unforgettable, offers an amazing moment of serenity.