Film review and podcast by c d kaplan
Riz Ahmed, whom you might remember from the TV series, “The Night Of,” plays Ruben, a recovering addict who is the drummer in a thrash metal duo with his girlfriend Lu, portrayed by Olivia Cooke.
After the set up of their career, such as it is, and their tender relationship, he discovers he’s losing his hearing, and then becomes deaf.
He ends up in a rural haven for the hearing impaired, who are also recovering from substance abuse.
Ahmed brilliantly portrays his character, who somewhat acclimates to his situation, but also longs to continue his life as it was with Lu.
Given the subject matter, much of the movie is silent. Yet Ahmed deftly expresses his emotions through his face and eyes and body language and demeanor.
The actor’s performance is truly worthy of the nomination he’s received for Best Actor.
For considerably more information, and my take on the movie, listen to the podcast above.
Ready for some great music? wfpk.org/stream
