'Haunting' musical drama with British Oscar winner now streaming for free
It has been described as 'phenomenally heart-breaking'
An Oscar winning drama starring Riz Ahmed is now streaming for free on BBC iPlayer.
Sound of Metal was originally released in 2019, and went on to win Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
If that isn't enough to entice new viewers, the musical drama was also nominated for the Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay prizes.
It follows Ruben Stone (portrayed by Ahmed), a punk drummer who begins to suffer from hearing loss.
When a hearing specialist warns that his condition will only worsen, Ruben fears his career is over.
His girlfriend Lou (played by Olivia Cooke) soon begins to worry that the recovering heroin addict will relapse, so she checks him into a sober community of people with hearing impairments.
Community founder Joe (played by Paul Raci) goes on to help Ruben navigate his new condition. The acting duo received praise for their performances, with Ahmed earning an Oscar nomination for Best Lead Actor and Raci bagging a Best Supporting Actor nod.
While neither took home their respective awards, Ahmed won his first Oscar the following year for penning the live-action short film The Long Goodbye.
Behind the camera, Darius Marder served as the sole director and co-wrote the script, alongside his brother Abraham Marder and Derek Cianfrance.
The film was well received and earned a stellar 97% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Critics on the movie-rating website praised: "An evocative look at the experiences of the deaf community, Sound of Metal is brought to life by Riz Ahmed's passionate performance."
While one viewer penned: "Haunting and revealing and human," and another raved: "Phenomenally heart-breaking. Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke are to die for."
Someone else, who has suffered from a hearing condition, shared their verdict. "As someone who has severe hearing loss caused by industrial noise, this film gives a very realistic look at how hearing loss affects the individual," they wrote.
"Riz Ahmed’s acting as Ruben the drummer is superb. Have a box of tissues handy," added the same fan.
A final viewer declared: "Riz Ahmed was robbed of an Oscar, he blew away the other actors. Amazing movie and performance."
Sound of Metal is streaming for free on BBC iPlayer. The film is also available to stream on Prime Video