AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #12 ‘Sound of Metal’

12. “Sound of Metal” – Riz Ahmed delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as a 30-something heavy metal drummer who reinvents himself, but not because of a new band.  Ruben (Ahmed) loses his hearing, as director/writer Darius Marder’s character study follows his lead’s journey to find acceptance and peace with his new reality.  Olivia Cooke and Mathieu Amalric play key supporting roles, and Ruben’s mentor Joe (Paul Raci) is a much-needed lifeline.  Ahmed wore auditory blockers on-set to simulate complete hearing loss, and Marder plays with sound that sometimes reproduces Ruben’s world-perspective. …

‘Sound of Metal’ resonates with Ahmed’s Oscar-worthy performance

“Sound of Metal” – Director/writer Darius Marder’s feature film debut lands like a gut punch, a barrage of them.  One particular body blow confronts us very early in the first act, and for the remainder of the emotional, 15-round/two-hour runtime – led by Riz Ahmed’s Oscar-worthy performance – the audience tries to recover. Well, “Sound of Metal” doesn’t feature actual fisticuffs, but Ruben (Ahmed) fights through and for something that he lost. His hearing. Marder offers an immediate introduction to Ruben and his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) from the film’s…

Movie of the Week: ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’

AHFW looks back to high school, and not our teenage days, but Greg, Earl, and Rachel’s experiences in 2015.  It’s worth the trip, because “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” – and off-beat wonder – is one of the most affecting high school movies in years. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015) – A self-doubting teen (Thomas Mann) befriends a fellow student stricken with leukemia (Olivia Cooke), and the particularly well-written script provides an equally hilarious and affecting journey about teenagers coping with untimely circumstances.  Director Alfonso…