A brief preface:
On the morning before the film, I bought myself travel insurance for a hundred and one pence (!) and got myself meerkat movies for a year. That’s right I’ve duped the whole system and landed myself 2-4-1 cinematicketsontuesdaysandwednesdaysinselectedcinemasforawholeyear *breathe*. If thats not a reason to feel puffed up like a robin I don’t know what is. Felt like Jordan Belfort when I walked into the Showcase that evening.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. I absolutely loved this film.
I first watched this several weeks ago and was completely blown away. I won’t say that I watched it illegally (or should that be unlawfully? (CC:Matt Hancock)) but the version I initially watched was sans-subtitles, which differs from the cinema editions which have hardcoded subtitles, and does make for surprisingly different viewing.
Riz Ahmed plays Ruben, a recovering addict and drummer. With help from his girlfriend and band-mate Lou, he is 4 months clean and living a happy life on the road. Driving from gig to gig, doing what he loves and making ‘disgusting’ smoothies (I actually thought it looked quite nice).
Before we know too much about Ruben, his hearing suddenly, unexpectedly deteriorates. Ushered in with a shrill ringing that has sent a chill down my spine 2 out of 2 times. As a musician myself (check my band, tell your friends), this is the stuff of nightmares. What follows his loss of hearing is a twisting emotional journey, with Ruben bouncing fiercely between frustration and acceptance.
But time moves forever forward, no matter how desperate you are to rewind. To see something you once had slip through your fingers and fall into the unreachable past is the cruelest devastation in life.
Riz Ahmed truly knocks this one out of the park. His performance is world class. Everyone raise your jazz-hands in sign language applause! I feel bad that he was up against the titan that is Anthony Hopkins in this years Best Actor Oscar. There’s not many actors that could have snatched victory from his hands. Everything Ruben experiences, you experience. Ahmed channels it all directly at you and the result is truly heartbreaking. [Footnote: sign language applause is far better than smacking your hands together can we stop doing that now??]
The thunderous opening gig sequence made me feel like I was on the brink of war rather than a movie. A one-man battle. It is teeth-baring belligerence with an anger that quickly becomes internalised and muted. An anger that swoops and dives within Ruben through his new, frightening, silent world. He is forced to adapt, and the we with him. Together making life-changing decisions and by the end, it’s remarkable how much we’ve been put through.
99% of reviews of this will mention it's sound design, and that's because the noise in this film is pure art. Nicolas Becker who is responsible for the sound design puts us straight into the head of someone experiencing hearing loss. Completely convincing and immersive.
Final point; Paul Raci, I salute you. His supporting role adds a huge amount of depth to the film. There’s one bit when he literally just exhales but it’s so loaded with meaning. Thats some real acting right there, when even your breath can do a better job than Curtis Pritchard (sorry Curt, keep doing your thing!)
It’s stayed with me for a long time, and sent me researching into new areas, kept me thinking. I’ve taken a lot away from this film, it’s bril. Keep on poundin' them tubs.
