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.