Find the Sound of Metal
Ruben (Darius Marder) is a drummer for a heavy metal band, and his job is to play drums for the band on stage. He and his girlfriend Louise (Olivia Cooke) live in an old motorhome so they can walk around and perform.
That day, Ruben suddenly found himself unable to hear the deafening drums. How can you be in the band when you are deaf? He knew he could get a cochlear implant. However, according to his current savings, it is estimated that he will have the hope of having the surgery only in the year of the monkey and the month of the horse. At the same time, his temper became worse and worse, and Louise, who could not bear him, also left him, but before leaving, he found a deaf community to help him through the difficulties.
Community host Joey (Paul Raci) tells him that they're all about the mind, not the deafness. He arranged accommodation for him, went to classes in various classes, met deaf people of different ages and genders in the district, and let him go to a small room with only a table and chairs every day, with a piece of paper and a pen on the table. You don't have to do anything there, just write what comes to mind on paper. In addition, he has to study homework and practice sign language. In fact, this is like a live-in school where everyone eats, drinks, and sleeps together. Ruben became familiar with each other and began to teach the children to play drums. He was in a better mood, and he could write something in the small room. .
But Reuben sold the RV for surgery and went to Paris to find Louise. In fact, Louise is a rich second-generation French. After she went back, she lived with her father. Reuben had hoped that Louise would continue that RV trip with him. But Ruben sensed her hesitation when they were together. Early the next morning, he quietly got up, opened the door and walked to the streets of Paris, took off the hearing aid on his head, and sat on a chair to feel the morning in Paris quietly.
It sounds like a sad story. The drummer of the band lost his hearing and could no longer play the drums. Since then, his life has been completely changed. This is not only a skill he depends on for a living, but also a link between him and his girlfriend Louise. Losing his hearing means almost everything to him. So he disregarded Joey's arrangement for him to work, and sold his most valuable musical instruments, the electronic organ, and the RV for the surgery fee. He was also kicked out of the community because of the surgery. But this world is not the world he used to be. Not only did he lose his RV, he actually ended up losing Louise, not to mention everything he had ever depended on. When he finally sits on the streets of Paris, whether or not he returns to Joey's neighborhood, he has decided to say goodbye to his old life.
Our whole life has not been exactly the same as Reuben. As he grows old and loses his physical strength, his temples are like frost, he can't run fast, and he can't do many things he could do when he was young. It's not the same thing as his hearing loss. The only difference is that the whole process took a few more years. In the end, I can only retire and dance square dancing or play chess in the park. All in all, gradually withdraw from the entire social stage. Even if you are unwilling, there is nothing you can do. In the face of these, it depends on whether it is resignation or a desperate fight.
The Joy community is all about accepting and adapting to this new environment. Hearing loss can still lead a normal life, communicate with sign language or computer, and still enjoy life. He therefore opposed surgery and could not tolerate Ruben's continued stay in the nursing home.
Louise and Reuben have very different backgrounds, and as said before, she is actually a rich second generation. It's just that her mother and father took her to the United States after her divorce when she was a child, but she committed suicide later. When she was alone, she met Reuben, who was also brought up by a single mother, and the two people who had the same disease and took pity on each other walked together like this. After breaking up with Ruben, he returned to his father in Paris. Needless to say, life is much more comfortable than when I was wandering in the United States. It's romantic to drive an RV in the United States, but you can't rely on it for a lifetime. Of course she didn't want to go back to America and live her old life with Reuben. Reuben knew this very well, so he didn't force her.
If I were Reuben, I would definitely not give up like him, and I would fight again no matter what. Do you want to be human? All kinds of hard work are indispensable in a lifetime. Taking exams, going to college, or finding a job is easy. In today's society, if you don't advance, you will retreat. If you don't struggle, you will have no gain. Reuben also had surgery because he was uneasy about being in a deaf nursing home and wanted to get back together with Louise. Although he failed to regroup and cooperate with Louise, who knows where he will go after leaving Louise?
As another example, the Chinese who came to the United States in the early days often stayed in Chinatown. At least they were not racially discriminated against, and the language was not a problem (if they could speak Cantonese). Starting a family there is no problem. This is like Reuben in a deaf sanatorium. Everyone is deaf and can treat each other equally. He will not be discriminated against because of the deaf. He can find happiness and equality. When he returned to society, even though others didn't notice it, he was sensitive and discovered his weakness. Until the end, he kept doing nothing, simply pulled down his mask and faced the world with his true face. The same Chinese can live in Chinatown all their lives, but with the progress of the times, Chinese can also take their true colors and go to the outside world. It is estimated that with or without hearing aids, Ruben will struggle to return to society, but this time without the support of Louise.
Director Darius Marder This film is the first film he directed and has won many awards for this film.
Riz Ahmed was nominated for a Golden Globe for "The Night Of (2016)".
Olivia Cooke British-born young American actor (see my blog post "Why Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Scores High").
Paul Raci Paul Raci won several awards for this film.
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