Sound of metal is not an easy film to watch. Painful, difficult to absorb, yet offers some semblance of hope in the most low-key manner. The story of a drummer who starts losing his hearing is essentially a character study of an artist who is struggling to cope with the realization heโs completely turning deaf. A fellow who is driving a VR, playing to small crowds all over the country with his girlfriend, passionate about his music, has to now confront the new set of realities & challenges as the panic anger depression, and hopelessness sets in. The film throws a very important question if the disability is a handicap requiring a fightback or be accepted with its dimensions, and the answer comes most fascinatingly in a rehab center from a community of deaf. This is a lifetime performance by Riz Ahmed brilliantly taking us to through a multitude of emotions from shock disbelief fear grief depression madness to eventual acceptance. The film doesnโt get too preachy, with over-the-top feel-good moments rather keeps his transition restrained and realistic in a more believable manner.