Oscar Nominated ‘Sound of Metal’ Sonic Designer Breaks Down the Film’s Profound Final Scene

Sound designer Nicholas Becker heads to the Oscars with history on his side: No movie with the word “sound” in its title has ever lost the category of Best Sound

Riz Ahmed in "Sound of Metal"
Riz Ahmed in "Sound of Metal"

Spoiler warning: This article discusses the ending of “Sound of Metal.”

Here’s some Oscar trivia: Did you know that both times a film with the word “sound” it its title has been nominated for Best Sound (1952’s “Breaking the Sound Barrier” and 1964’s The Sound of Music”), that film has won the Academy Award in the category.

That’s a stat that bodes very well for this year’s “Sound of Metal,” starring Riz Ahmed as a drummer who loses his hearing, which scored six nominations, including in the newly-singular category of Best Sound. In previous years this craft was split between the disciplines of sound mixing and sound editing.

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