SOUND OF METAL will leave you spent, physically, emotionally, and if you can hear, aurally. On the cusp of success, metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) loses most of his hearing and must reconcile his new life with the help of a deaf community. He not only has to learn to be deaf, but to learn to live in the moment and just be. Is the jarring sound of metal, which is all that the implants Ruben eventually receives actually offer, better than no sound at all? The film is delicately directed, crisply edited and a game-changer in its sound design, conjuring a whole new world of challenges for its protagonist, a raw and vulnerable Ahmed. The passage with Ruben adjusting to his new life and priorities, gently guided by Paul Raci’s Joe is certainly the film’s most satisfying, but poignant peaks and technical flourish can be found throughout this punchy and powerful story. SSP