Movie Review: The History of Sound

At the beginning of The History of Sound, Lionel (Paul Mescal) tells us via voiceover that he has the rare ability to see sound as well as hear it. The movie doesn’t explicitly do anything with that information for the remainder of its run time, but thanks to the pairing of Alexander Dynan’s stunning cinematography and the assortment of historical American folk songs woven throughout we can sometimes feel as if we are experiencing the phenomenon for ourselves.

Lionel grew up the only child of a pair of poor farmers in early 1900s Kentucky, but due to his musical abilities he is encouraged to attend college in Boston. There, he meets David (Josh O’Connor), a young man with the ability to quickly pick up and recall any piece of music he hears. The two quickly become friends and then lovers, spending many happy days together despite the need to keep their romance a secret. Good things rarely last however, and David is soon called off to war. With the school’s music program also temporarily halted, Lionel returns home to the farm but is unable to find joy in that life any longer.

When the fighting stops, David returns home and writes to Lionel asking him to accompany him throughout rural Maine in order to record the area’s residents singing their songs for posterity. Intrigued both by the project and the promise of time together he heads East as quick as he can, and the pair spend a season enjoying their work as well as each other. Cracks in their bond begin to show towards the end of the project however, and when they separate once more, Lionel is left to wonder if they will ever meet again.

Director Oliver Hermanus and screenwriter Ben Shattuck have a deep affection for their characters and the subject of their studies, and it shows through in nearly every frame. The pace can be a bit slow, but I would struggle to determine what to cut to pick things up, as every moment feels vital and necessary to who Lionel and David are and why their journey matters.

As time carries on and Lionel continues to discover himself, we wonder if the duo will ever reunite all while the time they spent together recurs in his mind, affecting his decisions for years to come. Individuals can come into our lives and leave an indelible mark, even if our time together was brief, a theme that is handled beautifully here, as is the often-futile way we can find ourselves chasing idealized versions of our past, regardless of their veracity.

There are a few missed opportunities here that prevent the movie from being a masterpiece, but it’s still a journey worth taking that features two of the strongest actors of their generation giving stirring performances and an incredible soundtrack. There is an appealingly wistful melancholy to this film that will wrap you like a warm blanket if you let it and since it hasn’t left my mind since I watched it, I can only strongly recommend that you do. ★★★★