Oscars 2021: Ranking The Nominated Performances From Worst To Best
4. Riz Ahmed - Sound Of Metal
In what is easily his career best performance to date, Riz Ahmed is sensational as Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who has to come to terms with the sudden loss of his hearing. The film is a great tool to raise awareness for an issue that is hard to understand for those that don't suffer from it and Ahmed approaches the material with maturity and sensitivity.
Ruben goes through several emotions as he comes to terms with his new impairment and the whole ordeal and reaction feels natural and realistic thanks to Ahmed. Commanding empathy with great skill, Ahmed manages to give a heart-breaking performance as Ruben loses everything around him.
Ultimately feeling like a necessary and important film, Sound of Metal shows that living without hearing is not something to be ashamed of and Ahmed walks the fine line of accepting that fact and struggling with it. It results in what feels like an incredibly real performance and one of the very best of the year.