It’s definitely not flat out bad, but nowhere near as good as the rave reviews. We have seen the addiction/redemption arc a million times before, not to mention the gruff mentor with the heart of gold and so on. I did really like the last 20 or 30 minutes after he leaves the deaf 12-step cult, but the hour preceding that was a slog.
shareThere wasn’t exactly a redemption / addict arc in this film. He was an addict in the past, before the events of this movie take place. The movie does not render his time as a drug addict. We don’t see him go from junkie to sober; that takes place before the movie starts
I thought the film was great. The lead actor did a fine job, coming across as sympathetic and likable; and the film successfully draws attention to the deaf community. Joe (the deaf community leader) did a fine job mostly because he was so convincing.
The message of the movie, in my opinion, centers on acceptance - instead of always trying to fix everything (eg hearing implants), people sometimes need to acknowledge that some things either cannot or should not be fixed. In this unpredictable life, people need to know how to adjust and learn to live, securely, with whatever may come, be it deafness or whatever. I think our protagonist learns that lesson, as he takes off the head attachments and sits comfortably in silence at the end. The ending suggests that he sees the value of deafness, that he will learn to live with it
It was painfully boring and the two leads had zero chemistry. And their band didn't even play metal.
shareI think it is very good, albeit far from being a classic or particularly memorable. Some great performances and no tearjerking. Just a simple touching story, told with constraint. It is hard to make such a movie without sending the audience into sleep or milking their eyes. Everything is very well dosed. It is just right.
share