The first five minutes of Sound of Metal, filled with the raw sound of rage played out in a punk rock concert, will unsettle audiences. But that cacophonous beginning is an appropriate starting point for the story of one man’s journey to find peace amid tragedy and the pangs of addiction.

The movie, streaming on Amazon, centers on the life of Ruben, a punk rock drummer and recovering heroin addict who’s been clean for four years.

The late Billy Graham would often pose a question at his crusades: “Do you know what the mortality rate is these days?” The audience, expecting to hear some calculated percentage, instead heard his answer: “100 percent!”  

Many people avoid thoughts of their own death. So it’s surprising, yet also encouraging, to see many television series focusing on different ideas about death and the afterlife.   

Move over Tiger King. A new documentary series is ruling America’s imagination, and its subject is worthier of the crown.