Overview

• The History of Sound, directed by Oliver Hermanus and starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to a nine-minute standing ovation.
• The film, adapted from Ben Shattuck’s short story, follows two music students who fall in love while recording folk songs in WWI-era America.
• Critics have praised the performances of Mescal and O’Connor but described the film as overly restrained, with some calling it “Brokeback Mountain on sedatives.”
• Paul Mescal and director Oliver Hermanus have publicly dismissed comparisons to Brokeback Mountain, emphasizing that the film celebrates queer love rather than exploring repression.
• The film’s understated portrayal of intimacy, focusing on subtle gestures and shared music, has drawn both admiration and criticism for its lack of explicit romantic scenes.