Vrinda Bachchan
‘Sound of Metal’ is a compelling and emotionally gripping drama that follows the story of a heavy metal drummer whose life alters entirely when he starts to lose his hearing. When Ruben suddenly loses his sense of hearing, the doctor tells him his condition will progressively worsen until he goes totally deaf. Formerly addicted to heroin, Ruben’s sobriety is hanging by a thread when he, at the behest of his supportive girlfriend, checks himself into a rehab that caters especially to deaf people.
At the facility, the man who runs the rehab welcomes Ruben with ready acceptance and tries to guide him down the path of healing, where eventually, Ruben will need to make peace with his new reality and not chase after how his life was before. But Ruben, whose goal is to get surgery and then cochlear implants, cannot seem to let go of his past life. Curious to know where ‘Sound of Metal’ was filmed? Here’s what we know!
Sound of Metal Filming Locations
‘Sound of Metal’ was filmed majorly on location in the state of Massachusetts. Principal photography for the movie was completed in August 2018. Filming took almost 4 weeks (24 non-consecutive days) to finish. Here are more details about the specific filming locations that were used!
Rowley, Massachusetts
‘Sound of Metal’ is set in Fenton, Missouri, but it was filmed in the town of Rowley, in Essex County, Massachusetts. One of the prominent shooting locations was the family-run Agawam Diner, located at 166 Newburyport Turnpike, Rowley, MA 01969. Agawam Diner is an old-school 1954 rail-car diner, a quintessentially American establishment run by sisters Angela Mitchell and Ethel DePasquale.
For the purpose of filming ‘Sound of Metal’, the Agawam Diner was transformed into Miss Fenton Diner, a truck-stop-style diner. Filming was done both on the exterior and in the interior of the place. The crew took about 12 hours to shoot the scenes at the diner, working from 4 pm to 4 am. Because the set needed to be completely quiet, all the appliances were shut off, even the air conditioning.
Salem, Massachusetts
Filming for ‘Sound of Metal’ also took place in the historically significant coastal city of Salem, located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Salem is infamous for the 1692 witch trials, during which a number of locals were mercilessly executed for allegedly practicing witchcraft. Over the years, Salem has gained such widespread notoriety that pop culture is littered with countless “Salem witches” references. Below are a few photos from the set of ‘Sound of Metal’ while filming in Salem, shared on Instagram by Olivia Cooke, who stars in the movie.
Other Locations in Massachusetts
A major chunk of ‘Sound of Metal’ was also filmed in the Greater Boston Area, primarily the city of Ipswich. Other Massachusetts cities where filming for a few scenes took place include Boston, Lynn, Cambridge, Danvers, Framingham, Lawrence, Malden, and Topsfield.
Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium subbed in for Paris in ‘Sound of Metal’ and the scene with Riz sitting on a park bench was filmed in Antwerp (The City Park, to be specific). The scenes at Lou’s father’s house were also filmed here. Other movies to have filmed in Antwerp include names like Eva Green’s ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ and Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘The Fifth Estate.’
Read More: Is Sound of Metal Based on a True Story?
