Sound of Metal

Review: Plot,
Characters and
Themes
Director: Darius Marder
Writers: Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek
Cianfrance
Academy Awards (Oscars):
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best
Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best
Film Editing and Best Sound.
Won: Best Sound and Best Film Editing.
Actors:
Riz Ahmed – Ruben
Olivia Cooke – Lou
Paul Raci – Joe
Lauren Ridloff – Diane (teacher at the school)
Chelsea Lee – Jenn (the woman at the deaf
community who befriends Ruben)
Key terms:
- Cochlear implant
- Deaf community
- RV/camper/Airstream
- Death metal or heavy metal
- Sign language → learn sign language
- Hearing loss
- Hearing impairment
Themes explored in this film:
- Identity and self-acceptance,
- Identity and loss,
- Multiple identities,
- Identity and relationships,
- Identity and societal norms,
- Identity and addiction,
- Changing identities,
- Identity and community (collective identity),
- Identity and memories.
How to study and review Sound of Metal:
- For each of the topics on the previous slide, find relevant evidence
in the PowerPoint.
- Make conclusions about the meaning and importance of identity
in the film
- Use PEE: Point → Evidence → Explanation
- Study your PEE diagrams/paragraphs for the pre-Bac
Describe the identities of the main characters, Ruben and Lou. Use
visual and aural evidence from the film to analyze their identities
through the lens of:

- Identity and social relationships: exclusion and inclusion:

o Outcasts: they’re excluded from mainstream society but included in a
small community of death metal
o Ruben’s tattoos: “scumbag,” “I want to die,” the color of his hair,
his demeanor, and clothes, how he plays the drums
o Lou: the cuts on her arm, her colored eyebrows, the lyrics of her
song: “There’s something I want to eat… I’m sorry you’re cheap
and violent…”
o The couple: how they play together, their morning routine, when they
say goodbye to each other, Ruben’s obsession with following her
online while at the deaf community
Relationships and Identity: Ruben and Lou as a Couple
Pay particular attention to the identity of the couple before and after Ruben
loses his hearing. Compare and contrast the sound, the images, the general
mood, how they interact and how the director has shot the scenes. Use visual
and aural evidence to make your point.

➔The identity of a couple: the intimacy of traveling together and telling their life
story:
➔Ruben: “I used to imagine Jeff Goldbloom was my dad.” (he doesn’t know
who his father is)
➔Lou: “I used to imagine my funeral a lot.”
➔The identity of their career and band
➔On stage their music is violent and chaotic, together they gentle, soft,
sweet and listen to soothing R&B while slow dancing
➔Their Winnebago/camper/RV
➔Band name: Black Gamon
Loss of an identity
Analyze how Ruben reacts when he realizes he’s lost his hearing. Use visual clues to make
assumptions and draw conclusions about how Ruben copes with this traumatic event. How did
the director shoot the scenes to emphasize this turning point and how did Riz Ahmed act them
out?
➔ His initial reaction to his hearing loss: he keeps playing – denial. His reaction the next
morning. Compare his morning routines.
➔ His entire identity revolves around Lou and their music. He refuses to accept the loss of
that identity and continues to pretend like everything is normal.
➔ How does the director make the viewers live the trauma and confusion?
➔ There is no sound: we experience what Ruben experiences. This is especially true when
Ruben runs out of the concert and the audience watches the scene that ensues between
Lou and Ruben in complete silence.
➔ Why do you think he left suddenly and initially hid it from Lou?
➔ He is Lou’s foundation (he feeds her “healthy smoothies”, wakes her up, comforts her with
slow dances) and he cannot stand the idea of not being the strong and supportive
boyfriend.
Identity and loss:

What else has Rubben lost in addition to his hearing? How does he
cope with this immense loss? Use evidence from the film to
elaborate your point.

➔ After seeing the doctor and facing the harsh reality of his hearing
loss and the loss of his entire identity, he pretends as if nothing
has happened. And then he breaks down and panics.
➔The identity of the couple: He wants to keep going and keep
playing. Lou says no and panics when she sees Ruben smoke a
cigarette because she’s afraid of his addiction.
Changing Identities
Describe the new dynamic in Ruben and Lou’s relationship. How has
this uprooted Ruben’s perception of his identity and of their relationship?

➔The change in their relationship on the drive to the deaf community:

on their previous trip they were talking and chatting, laughing. Now
there is absolute silence: loss of the identity of the couple.
➔He is now the one who needs help. Previously, he was the one
waking up early, preparing a healthy breakfast, making sure that Lou
was comforted and consoled.
➔Could Lou have possibly realized that her foundations are
crumbling and that she will therefore also crumble and return to
drugs and her destructive past self?
Describe the first meeting between Joe and Ruben. How does Ruben
talk about his former addiction and how he is doing now? Why do you
think Joe wanted to meet with Ruben alone? How are Lou and Ruben
dealing with this brief separation for such an important meeting?

➔Both Ruben and Lou seem lost and traumatized.

➔Ruben maintains the “old-man” stubbornness of “I’m going to fix it”
demonstrating the extent to which he is unwilling to accept this loss
and the resulting identity change.
➔The loss of his identity causes a former, darker and self-harming
identity to resurge: “I’m an addict”
➔Joe: “Have you thought about using since you lost your
hearing?”
➔Ruben: “Today is not a good day.” → Ruben is clearly tempted to
go back to his destructive tendencies.
How does Joe describe himself? How would you describe Joe? How has Joe’s
identity evolved?

➔Joe’s multiple identities: Joes describes himself as “alcoholic,” “Vietnam War

vet” where he lost his hearing, he “still remembers the music he was listening
to when that bomb went off” → he lost everything else: wife, kid and this still
seems to define him as a person because you can clearly see the tragic look
in his facial expressions and hear it in his voice
How do Ruben and Joe see hearing loss differently, especially with
regards to their identity? Think in terms of exclusion and inclusion,
intersecting/multiple and evolving identities. Is the hearing impairment really
a “loss”?

➔Ruben might see hearing loss as an impairment, a traumatic event or an

obstacle. He wants to fix it immediately. It is portrayed as a complete loss
of his other identities.
➔His identities intersect (Lou + music), but it seems as though hearing loss
completely obliterates those intersections.
➔But Joe says that it is was the addiction that destroyed his other
identities, not his hearing loss: “Not because of being deaf, mind
you, Ruben. It was the beer.”
➔Ruben sees hearing loss, or any other impairment, as exclusion.
Analyze the link between Ruben’s sobriety and his relationship with Lou. How does this
impact Ruben’s identity and the identity of the couple?

➔ Ruben’s relationship with Lou: 4 years. The same length as his sobriety. His identity as
a sober and healthy man—smoothies, morning workouts, slow dancing—is intertwined
and dependent on his relationship with Lou and their identity as a happy, healthy, sober
couple.

What sort of image does Joe give of the deaf community? What pearl of wisdom does he
give Ruben? Why is this important to Joe’s conception of his hearing impairment?

➔ Identity: the deaf community. The people in it “benefit tremendously from that deaf
community.”
➔ “We’re looking for a solution to this, not this” as he points to the forehead,
meaning the mind, and then to the ears, for his hearing impairment, meaning that
Ruben has to accept his new identity.
When Lou joins Ruben and Joe, another layer of their complex identity spectrum is
revealed. What is it? How does this fit in with their other identities?

➔Receiving a gift from a church while “not being into religion”.

➔Ruben brushes off the offer, so Joe asks Lou—the identity of the couple.

What are the rules of the deaf community and what would this represent to Ruben in
terms of his identity?

➔Joe: “Members of the community live in a house separate from the outside
world” and “If Ruben were to stay here, he would have to do it on his own”
(this once again, shatters Ruben’s shared identity with Lou.
➔Lou and Ruben initially want to live in their RV while Ruben learns sign language,
and Joe says “that’s not how it works.”
➔Ruben suffers another loss of identity: his RV, Lou, his relationship with her.
Analyze the collective identity of the deaf community? How does the director make the audience
empathize with Ruben during this experience? What does this all mean for Ruben’s identity?
• Everyone in the deaf community seems to be a former addict. You could describe them as
“outcasts,” but together they share an identity and support each other.
• The rules are very strict: Joe takes Ruben’s smartphone and the keys to his RV, thereby
completely cutting him off from the outside world and more importantly Lou.
• On the evening of Ruben’s first day in the community, the members of the deaf community
stand in a circle and sign to each other. Ruben is unable to understand anything, but he still
introduces himself while Joe translates: “I’m Ruben. I’m an addict. I have four years clean
now.”
• At the dinner table, the discussions in sign language are very animated and Ruben sits
quietly, excluded from the discussion. In the next scene, he lights a cigarette outside.
• In the community they all have jobs, which are written on a whiteboard. Next to Ruben’s
name, Joe writes “learn how to be deaf.” This reveals that Joe knows what lies ahead of
Ruben: he must learn how to live with his hearing impairment and forge a new identity in the
process.
In what ways do the characters in the texts you studied struggle to create a new
identity?

• Point: In addition to having suffered an immense loss, Ruben must struggle to

create a new identity and forge bonds that will help him shape it.
• Evidence: Discussions within the deaf community, especially at the dinner table, are
lively, full of animated facial expressions and dynamic gestures and movements.
However, Ruben cannot communicate with the other community members.
• Explanation: The director’s choice to not translate these discussions is meant to
place to audience in Ruben’s shoes. It underscores the challenges he faces to re-
establish basic communication skills necessary for nurturing the fundamental
relationships that are essential to forming an identity. The joy and happiness of the
community members is in stark contrast to Ruben’s sullen demeanor, which
highlights the importance of strong relationships in creating and reinforcing healthy
and positive identities among former addicts.
Ruben at the school for the deaf:

• Consider the following questions:

• Why do you think the director chose to shoot the first scene of Ruben’s learning
process in a primary school? → The choice to film the start of Ruben’s learning process
in a primary school illustrates how identities are often formed at an early age and at
school. Furthermore, this reflects how the identities of the main characters were
formed in Never Let Me Go: at Hailsham during their formative years (childhood and
teenage years).
• How does Ruben’s handwriting on the board reflect his identity? → When the teacher,
Diane, asks Ruben to write his name, he proceeds to write it in very large graffiti-like
letters. This reveals how he perceives himself as well as the image he wants to project
to others: a marginalized outcast who lives life by his own set of rules. However, he
clearly sees that Diane is unphased by this, which suggests that the deaf community
openly embraces differences as they themselves are generally excluded from
mainstream society.
• Later in the adult class, Ruben stares off into space as the teacher gives an introduction to
sign language. The eerie music that follows reflects Ruben’s feelings of exclusion and loss
at that point in the movie: he’s lost his hearing and Lou, both of which previously
determined his entire identity; and he feels excluded from the deaf community due to his
inability to communicate.
• These feelings of loss and exclusion feed his existential identity crisis as he desperately
tries to hold onto the only thing that matters to him: Lou. Ruben logs onto Joe’s computer
to check his emails and contact Lou, clearly breaking the rules of the community.
Joe’s assignment for Ruben:
- Ruben tries to fix a portion of the farmhouse roof, but Joe stops him and brings him to his
office. He says to Ruben, “You don’t need to fix anything here” with a stern look at his face.
This scene could be seen as a metaphor for how Joe and Ruben see hearing loss differently.
Joe’s words and his reaction illustrate how he does not see it as a disability or something that
needs to be fixed. On the other hand, Ruben sees his hearing loss as something that he needs
to repair in order to get back to Lou and their career and life on the road.
- Joe tells Ruben that he will have to wake up at 5 am and simply sit in a room, and when he can
no longer sit, he must write until he feels like he can just sit again.
- Purpose: This assignment is meant to teach Ruben the lesson of self-acceptance, the last stage
of the five stages of grief. In order to deal with his hearing loss, the loss of Lou and the loss of
his former self, Ruben must be capable of seating in meditative silence alone, demonstrating
his acceptance of who he is. Ruben must learn to quiet his mind and body and be at peace
with his new self. To quote Joe, “You don’t need to fix anything here.”
Quotes and evidence for Joe’s assignment:
- “All I want you to do is just sit”
- “And I want you to write.”
- “I want you to keep writing, continuously without stopping, until you feel like you can sit again.”
- On Ruben’s first day of writing, he smashes the doughnut on the desk, mirroring the same
reaction he had in the RV after telling Lou that he had lost his hearing. He then screams, “so
fucking stupid”, and laughs with an air of insanity. This could represent the stage of anger in the
five stages of grief:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Breakthrough:
- Ruben takes one of the children out during a dance performance, and the two
start to bang on a metallic slide.
- This is the first time, since seeing Lou’s photo in the email, that Ruben smiles.
- Ruben has finally found a way to reconcile a part of his former identity with his
new one.
- The sound is muffled, and it is intended to place the viewers in Ruben’s shoes.
- In the very next scene, we see Joe on a fieldtrip with the school children,
communicating in sign language with them and enjoying himself.
- Later on, we see Ruben competing with a younger hearing-impaired student in a
sign-language challenge. You can juxtapose this to when Joe simply sat in the
lessons, staring off into space.
- Ruben begins to write, without smashing the doughnut, and to communicate with
the others at the dinner table. We see him laughing and smiling.
- At one point after all these positive experiences, Ruben is sitting in the
room reserved for writing and he stares contently out the window. This
symbolizes a short-lived moment of self-acceptance.
New relationships:
• In addition to learning sign language and appearing to accept his hearing loss,
Ruben forms a new close relationship with one of the community members, Jenn.
Ruben draws a sketch of a naked woman for a tattoo to go on her upper back. Later
on, Ruben relies on Jenn to help him sell some of his music equipment in order to
pay for the cochlear implant surgery.
• Ruben also forms a positive and healing relationship with the school children. He
participated in a field trip (see the previous slide) and gives a lesson in which the
students beat drumsticks on buckets.
• After all this personal growth and during a conversation between Joe and Ruben, Joe
admits, “You’ve become very important to a lot of people around here.”
Holding onto his former self and to Lou:
- Ruben logs onto Joe’s computer and sees a video of Lou performing in Paris.
- In the next scene, Ruben goes to his RV, starts to unplug his musical equipment and
briefly plays the drums. The next day, Jenn is in the RV with Ruben, who asks her to
sell boxes of his musical equipment. When Jenn appears to say no, Ruben says,
“It’s for her.” Later on in the film, Ruben sells the RV itself with a very specific
condition: Ruben will sell it for $26,000 but he reserves the option to buy it back in 8
weeks for 10% more provided that everything remains in its current condition. This deal
shows the extent to which Ruben is determined to get his former life and Lou, and
therefore his old identity, back
- In an act of deception, Ruben sneaks around the farmhouse in order to call a clinic
to schedule an appoint for the cochlear implant. To illustrate Ruben’s inner conflict,
Darius Marder shows a scene at the school where Ruben and the students have
their arms draped across a grand piano. There is one identity that is fully obsessed
with Lou and their life together, and another identity that has reconciled music with
his hearing impairment.
Deception, identity and societal norms:
- Ruben breaks the rules of the community in which he lives in a desperate attempt to
get back to his old life and to Lou.
- He hurts the people of the community that took him in and helped him when no one
else could.
- When revealing that he got the hearing implant surgery, Ruben says to Joe, “[I’m]
trying to save my fucking life.” This quote underpins the importance of his
relationship with Lou to his identity. Ruben has jeopardized everything to reunite
with her. She is the reason why he keeps going, and she is more important than his
music, their RV (which was their home and only mode of transportation), and his new
identity and status within the deaf community. His decision to get the surgery
reveals that he sees his hearing impairment as an obstacle to getting her back and
his old life back. Lou and his old life are one and the same.
Self-perception, relationships and societal norms:

Ruben destroys the most meaningful relationships he has in part because he still sees
himself as worthless to society. During that same conversation between Joe and
Ruben, Ruben says to Joe, “If I disappear, like, who cares?” This shows that Ruben
sees himself as an outcast, even within the marginalized community that took him
under their wings. Ruben sees himself as trash and garbage, something disposable in
the eyes of mainstream society. This mirrors how Ruth in Never Let Me Go sees herself
and the other clones, and in both instances these characters’ disparaging image of
themselves negatively impacts their relationships with those who care about them,
namely Joe, Kathy and Tommy. Furthermore, the audience can infer that Ruben still
believes Lou is the only one “who cares,” as he has sabotaged a future within the deaf
community to win Lou back. Later in the film, there is an ironic turn of events as it is
clear that Lou is thriving without Ruben.
Self-acceptance and identity:

Before Joe kicks Ruben out of the deaf community, he says, “Have you had
any moments of stillness? [...] for me, those moments of stillness, that
place, that’s the kingdom of God. And that place will never abandon
you.” Joe is attempting to convey the importance of accepting oneself, with
all the flaws and imperfections, to Ruben. Joe’s inner peace and
contentedness symbolize his acceptance of himself and his hearing
impairment. On the other hand, Ruben’s constant attempts to keep busy,
for example to repair the slanted roof, symbolize his denial and refusal to
accept his hearing loss and his new identity. Joe’s quote demonstrates the
necessity for self-love to conquer the fear of abandonment.
Collective identity, disabilities and societal norms:
- Joe “Ruben, as you know, everyone here shares in the belief that being deaf is
not a handicap. Not something to fix. All of us need to be reminded of it every
day.”
- This part of the movie highlights the main difference in how Ruben and Joe see
disabilities and the extent to which they let societal norms dictate how they see
themselves.
- It also underscores the strength in the collective identity and the relationships
within the deaf community: remember how they interact at the dinner table, how
they divide chores and jobs, and how they live together.
- From the moment he lost his hearing, Ruben has seen his hearing impairment as
an obstacle to his relationship and his identity. He has let society determine his
worth as a human being and as a boyfriend.
- Ruben has been adopted by the deaf community and formed meaningful
relationships, but at the same time he has betrayed their trust and hurt them.
Conclusion: Acceptance
- After having the cochlear implants activated, Ruben goes to Paris to find Lou. The
audience can assume that since Ruben has “fixed” himself, he now feels like he can
be the supportive boyfriend that Lou needs.
- However, Ruben’s marginalization and exclusion is in stark contrast to Lou’s
complete integration into her new Parisian life. Darius Marder chose to film the
scene at the party from Ruben’s perspective to showcase his feeling of otherness:
the dialogues are inaudible and there is a constant static background noise that
makes the entire scene unbearable to listen to.
- Not only does his hearing impairment make it difficult for him to connect to others at
the party, but physical appearance does as well. He is dressed in an old t-shirt while
all the other guests are wearing semi-formal attire.
- Ruben is filmed standing alone, smoking and staring sadly into the distance, while
Lou looks at him with concern.
- The most disconcerting juxtaposition comes at the end of the dinner party when Lou
and her father perform a duet. The first part of the song is filmed normally with no
alteration to the sound. As the camera zooms in on Ruben, we hear the song as
Ruben would hear it: completely muddled by static.
Conclusion: Acceptance
- After the dinner party, Ruben enthusiastically tells Lou, “We got to get back into it
[...] I got to go get the Airstream sorted [...] the album, the tour.”
- This is what Ruben has been waiting and working for. He wants his old life back
and Lou is the central piece in that life. Without her, there is no camper, no
album, no tour.
- Lou then immediately starts scratching her arm. After a long pause, Ruben says,
“It’s okay, Lou.”
- Ruben realizes that what he wants isn’t best for the person he loves. It shows
the extent to which a couple can mold each other’s identities.
- Ruben: “You saved my life, you made it beautiful.” Lou: “You saved my life, too,
Rubi.”
- All of these quotes explore how identities interact within a very close and intimate
relationship, especially one in which both partners have pasts riddled with
addiction. They show how they created their own support system in order to
maintain a healthy lifestyle and identity.
The ending explained:
- As Ruben walks the streets of Paris, all the audience can hear is chaotic
static. In an act of frustration, he removes his implants and awakens to the
beauty of the world around him without sound.
- This is where Joe’s quotes about self-acceptance and not seeing deafness
as a disability come full circle.
- Ruben has visibly found an inner peace and accepted his new self.
- The long and difficult journey to self-acceptance is put in the limelight.
- Themes to explore with this ending:
- Identity and self-acceptance
- Identity and societal norms
- Changing identities
Looking at Identity from Lou’s perspective
 Identity from Lou’s perspective: examples of PEE
Point: At the beginning of the film, Lou’s fragile identity is nurtured and molded by
Ruben’s caring and supportive nature.
Evidence: Lou remains in bed while Ruben makes a healthy breakfast, turns on soft
music and gently wakes her up. There are visible cuts on her forearm, and as she
proceeds to scratch herself, Ruben says “Come on, stop that.” After breakfast, Ruben
lovingly embraces Lou as they slow dance to “This Love.”
Explanation: Their morning routine underscores the nature of their identity as a couple:
Lou needs Ruben for emotional support, and Ruben derives a sense of purpose from
their dynamic. The quote clearly shows that Lou would quickly fall back into anxiety and
self-harm if Ruben were not there to guide her. Her dependence on Ruben’s loving
emotional and physical support is proof that her identity is fragile and relies on the
nurturing of others in order to avoid reverting back to her past self. The director’s decision
to play “This Love” further underscores the importance that their relationship plays in the
formation of both of their identities.
 Identity from Lou’s perspective: examples of PEE
Point: When Lou realizes that she can no longer rely on Ruben, she is forced to cut ties
with him as her identity and behaviors seem to mimic those closest to her.
Evidence: The morning after the meeting with Joe, Lou looks on with horror and in
complete silence as Ruben destroys some of their musical equipment. As they say their
goodbyes, Lou says to Ruben, “You hurt yourself, you hurt me. I’ll hurt myself, too.”
Explanation: Her distraught reaction to Ruben’s destructive outburst illustrates her
understanding of the situation: they are both former addicts and if Ruben returns to his
destructive tendencies, so will she. Later, her threat of self-harm—should Ruben hurt
himself—is further evidence of her tendency to imitate those around her. This quote could
also be interpreted as part of her subconscious survival instinct: she knows that she can
no longer rely on Ruben for the support she needs to avoid her inner demons. She must
find someone else and forge a new relationships in order to survive, partially or entirely
copying that person’s identity in the process.
 Identity from Lou’s perspective: examples of PEE
Form your own point and explanation, about Lou’s identity, based on the following evidence at the
end of the film (choose no more than two pieces of evidence):
- Lou’s physical appearance: new haircut, a smile from ear to ear, new Parisian style and clothes
- Ruben when he sees Lou for the first time: “Whoa, no scratching, huh?” Lou: “Oh, yeah.”
- Lou’s father calls her “Louise” → think of the importance of a name to an identity
- Lou and her father perform a duet, he plays the piano and she sings with an overwhelming feeling
of melancholy mixed with nostalgia for her mother and her former life
- Ruben says, “You were fucking great.” To which Lou responds, “It’s my dad’s stuff, but…”
- Ruben asks, “And you’re speaking French now?” Lou replies, “Well, I’ve mostly forgotten, but…”
(identity & memory)
- Lou: “It’s so disconcerting the things that your memory holds onto without you knowing.” (identity
& memory)
- Lou starts inadvertently scratching herself when Ruben says, “We gotta get back into it […] in the
groove, huh?” She pauses when Ruben holds her hand, realizing what has happened: her
relationship with a former addict and someone who hurts himself, causes her to revert back to
these unhealthy tendencies. After a long silence, Ruben says, “It’s okay, Lou. You saved my life.”