The History of Sound, 2025.
Directed by Oliver Hermanus.
Starring Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor, Molly Price, Alison Bartlett, Michael Schantz, Chris Cooper, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Peter Mark Kendall, Emma Canning, Gary Raymond, Alessandro Bedetti, Michael D. Xavier, Aidan Redmond, Aedin Moloney, Leo Cocovinis, Tom Nelis, Brian Hutchison, and Briana Middleton.
SYNOPSIS:
Two young men during World War I set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen.
There is a familiar trajectory to the drama in director Oliver Hermanus’ folk ballad-centric gay romance The History of Sound (from a screenplay by Ben Shattuck, impressively adapting his short story into a two-plus hour experience without suffering from excess), that would be deflating and even off-putting if the film weren’t so beautifully acted and presented in an appropriately lyrical, delicate tone. On one hand, it’s the type of gay story that feels outdated or, at the very least, explored to death, but it is absorbing, using its slow start more concerned with observing characters and seeking out and studying soulful songs to build to a devastating dynamic that, in most hands, would cause eye-rolls but plays out here with aching humanity and respect for each character.
Spanning roughly a decade (and an epilogue that jumps decades into the future), the film primarily follows Paul Mescal’s farm-boy synesthete, Lionel, as he leaves behind his life on the farm, a sick mother (Molly Price), and a jingoistic, battlefield-proud grandfather (Raphael Sbarge) to pursue his musical passions, attending the Boston Conservatory in 1917. It is there he befriends Josh O’Connor’s David, not only knowledgeable about forgotten or lost ballads, but a world traveler, coaxing them out of strangers and collecting them through phonograph cylinders.
There’s an instant attraction, both emotional and physical, although this story is less focused on intimacy and more about the journey they go on collecting such music. Before doing so, there is a brief separation, during which David is drafted into World War I. In contrast, Lionel returns home and unpacks his grandfather’s polar opposite perspective on war, contrasting with the thoughts of his lover.
Part of Lionel’s narration references something his father once said: “Happiness isn’t a story.” And while one could argue that much doesn’t happen in the first hour, there is much nuanced friction underneath the surface that will unquestionably be re-contextualized by the end of the narrative or on future re-watches. A film also doesn’t need overblown or overly sentimental drama with moving ballads like these, coming from different cultures, and with lyrics that are similarly transformed over the course of the story into something piercingly emotional in relation to these characters. There is also a quietly tender scene where Lionel creatively attempts to explain to a pair of siblings what synesthesia is and what it feels like to hear a sound.
Lionel and David also discuss the past and future on this journey, with what’s next remaining uncertain. David plans to take up a teaching position elsewhere, while encouraging Lionel to pursue an alternative path and utilize his gift. As the years pass, Lionel becomes a semi-famous choir conductor in Italy, now dating a wealthy woman from a high-society family, yet still seeks to reconnect with David.
Sensitively told, there are revelations in the back half. This is also where The History of Sound temporarily abandons the musical aspect that lent it a distinctly unique cinematic poetry to delve into gay tropes, nevertheless, effectively so. Without saying much, it leads to a conversation between Lionel and a woman named Belle (Hadley Robinson) that is riveting not only for what is said, but also for how her words flirt with revealing anger while maintaining a levelheaded demeanor.
Unsurprisingly, Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor are excellently nuanced, bringing their characters to life with stirring internal depth. In the future, Chris Cooper plays an older version of Lionel to add some poignant finishing touches to the story. It’s a film that satisfies through drama, sights, and sounds.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
