Sound of Metal, directed by Darius Marder, tells the story of Ruben, a drummer who suddenly loses his hearing. At first, he tries to fix it with surgery, but over time, he learns that real peace comes from accepting being deaf is not a disability. Two scenes that show his change really well are the first time he meets Joe at a deaf recovery community, and the final scene of the film, where Ruben sits quietly by himself.

In both scenes, the film uses internal sound design and camera framing to show how Ruben’s thoughts and feelings change. In the first scene, the sound and camera show how lost and uncomfortable Ruben feels. In the last scene, the same techniques show that Ruben has found peace. By comparing these two scenes, we can see how sound and camera work together to help tell the story of Ruben’s emotional journey.