THE HISTORY OF SOUND: Slow, But Not Without Its Rewards

THE HISTORY OF SOUND (Blu-ray)

2025 / 128 min

MUBI

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😽

On one hand, The History of Sound was a pleasant surprise. Here’s a film with two main characters whose brief romantic relationship is the crux of the narrative. However, the fact that it’s a gay relationship has no actual impact on the plot. You could swap out David or Lionel for a Debbie or a Linda without changing a single scene or line of dialogue. We need more movies like that.

Granted, I haven’t seen a ton of gay-themed films, so maybe I’m behind the times. But most of the ones I have seen are either tragedies or deliberately provocative (or both), where the characters’ sexuality is central to the story. So if nothing else, this film eschews such cliches with protagonists who just happen to be gay.

On the other hand, The History of Sound is kind of meandering and too deliberately paced for its own good. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it boring, but despite a decent story, worthy themes and excellent performances, there were moments when I thought a car chase or something (if only just a bit of external conflict) would liven things up a bit. Music students Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O’Connor) have sort of a meet-cute in a local tavern, where they discover a mutual love of folk songs. This is followed by a brief romance before David is drafted to fight in World War I.

"No, seriously...your feet really stink."

Lionel returns to his family farm in Kentucky, where he stays for a couple of years and helps his parents, but he’s no longer happy. When David returns, he gets a position at a college in Maine, then invites Lionel to travel the region recording folk songs performed by locals. The two briefly rekindle their relationship until David returns to the college and Lionel heads to Europe. Though Lionel continuously writes to David, he never gets a response. Years pass, and during that time, Lionel becomes a respected singer and conductor, moving from Rome to Oxford, and even having a relationship with a young woman. 

However, he’s not satisfied with his life, so when he learns his mother is dying, Lionel returns home and doesn’t come back. Without ever saying so, it’s obvious why he hasn’t felt complete or happy all these years, despite being very successful. The viewer won’t need a slide-rule to figure any of this out, either. We’re just waiting for the inevitable to unfold. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, director Oliver Hermanus draws things out longer than he needs to, compounded by a main character who might be a little too self-absorbed to be totally invested in. Sure, we kinda like Lionel, but he often seems indifferent to the impact his actions have on others.

Still, these characters feel real, as does the episodic nature of the story and the film’s overall aesthetic. One might even mistake it for a true story, which is a credit to everyone involved on both sides of the camera. The History of Sound is a little too subdued and slow to justify its length, but it does reward the viewer’s patience with a bittersweet conclusion.

WE BURY THE DEAD: Something a Little Different

WE BURY THE DEAD (Blu-ray)

2025 / 95 min

Vertical Entertainment

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

You might be thinking one of two things: Oh great…another zombie movie. Or Yay! Another zombie movie! Either way, We Bury the Dead is something a little bit different, which could be either a good or bad thing. I’m leaning towards the former, though I can certainly see some people hating it.

It’s got a great premise. An experimental American bomb accidentally explodes on the island of Tasmania, instantly killing everybody…or so it initially seems. Some people wake back up, but not quite alive. Why some are reanimated and others aren’t is never answered (though the question is asked). At first, they’re still essentially brain dead, but as time passes, they become increasingly aware…and aggressive.

Daisy Ridley plays Ava, who volunteers with others to go to the island and help locate bodies for disposal. If they come across one of the undead, they’re to signal the military, who’ll come and finish them off. But she has an ulterior motive…her husband was on the island for a business retreat during the explosion, and even though she suspects he’s already dead, Ava wants to find him in hopes that he’s reanimated. After managing to convince her volunteer partner, Clay (Brenton Thwaites), to take her, the two hop on a motorcycle to look for him.

Daisy wins another argument.

We’ve all heard that term, It’s not the journey, it’s the destination, which certainly applies here. Along the way, they meet a soldier, Riley (Mark Coles Smith), who recently lost his pregnant wife and turns out to be disturbingly psychotic. It’s also revealed that Ava’s marriage was actually falling apart and she’s possibly looking for closure. The undead themselves are initially lethargic and docile, but grow more menacing as the story unfolds.

However, those seeking zombie hordes and the usual gut-munching should take a hard pass. We Bury the Dead boasts a few gruesome moments - and a final scene that’s kinda jawdropping - but overall, the deliberately paced narrative is more focused on Ava and her state-of-mind than the ghouls she encounters (which are actually few and far between). As such, the film isn’t without its rewards, including some affecting ones.

The film is well written and directed by Zak Hilditch (whose These Final Hours still haunts me) and features good performances by the two leads. Having seen more than my fair share of zombie flicks - good, bad and ugly - I appreciated the effort to make this one just a little bit different.