Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, both familiar with portraying LGBTQ+ characters, deliver profoundly moving performances in writer Ben Shattuk’s tender love story The History of Sound.  Often compared, somewhat lazily, to Brokeback Mountain, this film distinguishes itself by weaving the emotional magic of music into its narrative. It’s not love at first sight, but rather love at first hearing, as Lionel and David connect over the haunting folk song, “Silver Dagger.”

Set at the onset of America’s entry into World War I, Lionel and David are music students at the Boston Conservatory. Lionel hails from a modest farming family in Kentucky, while David, older and more worldly, brings depth and introspection to their relationship.  Deciding to meet weekly, a romance blossoms, as their sexual attraction is transformed through music and shared experiences into something stronger.  David proposes a research trip, which involves them traveling across the country to collect folk songs and document their history. As they record these songs, transcribe the lyrics, and spend time alone together, their bond deepens beyond words.

After the journey, Lionel returns to Kentucky while David heads off to war, and they eventually lose contact.

The narrative then follows Lionel as he moves to Europe, pursuing a singing career and forging new relationships with men and women, yet always feeling unfulfilled and constantly longing for the bliss he experienced with his first love.   Years later, on his return to America, Lionel decides to seek out David.

In an era when love between men was criminalised, the intense emotions felt by Lionel and David are doomed from the start. Much like Walt Whitman’s poetry, this movie describes an idyllic love, one that flourishes in nature, far from society’s condemnation.

And yet The History of Sound is more than just a melancholic love story. At its heart it celebrates the uplifting power of music, memory and emotion, which transcends place and time.

Beautifully directed by Palme D’Or nominee for 2025 Oliver Hermanus, with exquisite cinematography by Alexander Dynan, and music by Oliver Coates, The History of Sound opens in UK cinemas on January 23rd and will be available for streaming on Mubi and Amazon Prime globally.

9/10