The first trailer for Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed has just been released – check it out below.

Directed by Darius Marder, the film follows a heavy metal drama who grapples with his immediate and intermittent hearing loss.

Riz Ahmed plays Ruben, a drummer who struggles with the prospect of becoming deaf and is also grappling with his past of being addicted to drugs, having been sober for four years.

Ahmed stars alongside Olivia Cooke as his girlfriend and musical partner Lou. Mathieu Amalric, Paul Raci and Lauren Ridloff also star.

Watch the first trailer for Sound of Metal here:

The film is deliberately subtitled in order for both hearing and non-hearing audiences to be able to understand. Ahmed took six months of drum lessons before filming, and also learned American Sign Language.

Ahmed, also a musician, discussed his most recent album the Long Goodbye with NME earlier this year. He said: “I think Brexit and Trump around 2016 is what kind of shifted me towards wanting to be my unapologetic self.

“I feel like I’m in a really good place where I’m at creatively. I’m really proud of this album and proud of the film we did around it. I kind of feel like I’m making my best work now.”

Sound of Metal was originally due for release on August 14, but was delayed in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The film will now be released in US cinemas on November 20, and will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video on December 4.