The film “Sound of Metal” starts with the
uncomfortably loud noises of guitar feedback
and ends two hours later with absolute silence.
The trip through those extremes is a worthy one,
if sometimes exasperating.
British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed absolutely
shines as Ruben Stone, an American punk-
metal drummer whose life is upended when he
abruptly loses his hearing while on tour.
“Eliminate all exposure to loud noises,” a doctor
advises Ruben. That’s not so easy. He’s a punk-
metal drummer, after all. Loud noises is what
he does.