Oscars 2021: 10 Best Picture Movie Contenders
8. Sound of Metal
A super intense drama about the struggles of a drummer was always going to face comparison to Whiplash, but Amazon's Sound of Metal quickly establishes itself as very much its own entity.
Co-written and directed by Darius Marder, this unique drama takes a look at the life of a heavy metal drummer who slowly starts to lose his hearing. Without ever relying on cheap tearjerker moments or romanticising the subject matter, Sound of Metal hinges mostly on Riz Ahmed's outstanding central performance that brings the kind of uncommon clarity and understanding to his character that's only ever achieved by truly gifted performers.
While the movie is largely just a showcase for Ahmed's talent, it also explores the experiences of the hearing-impaired and the concept of coping with enormous, frightening and inevitable change, making it a highly original and substantial piece of filmmaking that might just make it all the way to a Best Picture nomination come April.