During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.

I’m not particularly good with awards and award season, but every once in a while, I’ll see a performance and thing, “damn, if that actor doesn’t get acknowledged for this…” I never know what the end of that sentence is going to be, because it’s not as though I’m going to stop watching movies. That said, I have a hard time imagining that Ahmed wouldn’t be recognized for this role and the film itself for the imaginative way that it takes you through the Journey.

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In the opening scenes of the film, the film does a great job with subtle cues in establishing the relationship and character dynamics between Ruben and Lou. He’s very regimented in his morning routine, while she sleeps in, suffering from anxiety and depression. Given that he’s the “heart” of the band, establishing the beat of the music, while she plays and sings moodily over it, they complement each well. The nuances of their relationship are further established in cute discussions as they drive from gig to gig in their airstream trailer, littered with clothes and music equipment. The script and actors do an excellent job of highlighting their bond very quickly before quickly changing the status quo.

After arriving at a gig, Ruben suffers his first moment of hearing loss. It passes quickly, but returns the morning after the show. He begins a self-diagnosis and it’s a terrifying moment. As the viewer, you know this won’t get better, but what sells the moment is how Ahmed completely inhabits Ruben’s growing anxiety and fear. This is aided by excellent sound design here and throughout the film. Sounds that were loud and crisp in the airstream earlier in the film, like the sound of food cooking, smoothie making, coffee brewing or the scratches of a record player, have all be deadened or are completely absent. Because of this, you truly are enveloped in this moment.

What follows is truly heartbreaking, as Ruben desperately tries to cling to what he loves, Lou and music, as the loss of 80-90% of his hearing threatens to take both away. We learn that the reason for Ruben’s regimented behavior in the beginning of the film was because he’s a recovering addict. The concern from Lou and Ruben’s sponsor is that these new circumstances could cause him to relapse and their first priority is to get him to somewhere he can get help.

After some initial resistance, Ruben is convinced to stay at an addiction treatment facility that serves the deaf community run by Joe. This is where the majority of the film takes place and Joe makes a clear to Ruben that his facility is not to fix his deafness, it is to help him learn to live with it. Lou is not allowed to stay at the facility with Ruben and makes the difficult decision to leave him at the facility and continue to tour in Europe.

I mentioned it earlier, but here is where the sound design becomes a much greater part of the story, as well as Ruben’s journey. As he begins to interact with his housemates, we’re left lingering in his same auditory POV. At dinner with the group, he’s isolated, as he doesn’t understand the fast hand movements and excited gestures of everyone around him. We’re not provided subtitles until he understands what’s being said later on in the film. It’s moments like this that help you feel as though you’re part of this journey with Ruben.

Director Darius Marder talked about this film and said that he hoped to create an “empathy” machine. Not only did he create a film that tackles addiction, but one that also addresses a community that is generally underserved in mainstream media. Through excellent sound design and a strong performance by Ahmed and the supporting cast, Marder has crafted a film that deserves to be seen…and heard.

Sound of Metal is in select theaters and on Prime Video December 4th.