Baby Driver and tinnitus (minor spoilers)

I was surprised at how good Baby Driver was. I'm a fan of Edgar Wright but didn't expect this movie to live up to the hype. It was action packed and entertaining from start to finish. One thing that particularly pleased me was the movies' portrayal of tinnitus.

Like the main character I have the kind that never goes away (persistent tinnitus). Like Baby I use music (both the making of and listening to) as a way to distract from the sound in both ears. It can also make me seem distant and kind of crazy. When you're in a silent but crowded room (like a bank queue or library) - which is usually awkward anyway - and you are very much aware that you have a loud, distracting, high-pitched ringing in your ears that no-one else can hear it can be very distressing and uncomfortable.

I have noise induced tinnitus like Baby. It means small hairs in my inner ear have been damaged and there's no cure, unlike the type that occurs through flu or high blood pressure which can be cured.

At least now if people ask me what's tinnitus I can say: "Remember the movie Baby Driver, I have that".

If you haven't seen it yet, do so. It's one of those movies like The Matrix or Fight Club were, in that everyone raves about it and when you do go and see it you find out why everyone was talking about it.