The History of Sound is a 2025 British-American musical romantic film directed by Oliver Hermanus from a screenplay by Ben Shattuck. The film is set to be released in the United States on May 24, 2025.
The History of Sound is a lyrical historical drama adapted from the short stories of Ben Shattuck. At its center is a tender yet complex emotion—the bond between two young musicians and their passion to preserve the songs of the common people in an era transformed by war and modernity. The film relies on a slow, contemplative rhythm and a clean visual style that often places music not just as a backdrop, but as an essential actor in the story.
The plot is simple at first glance, but with many layers: in 1917, Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O'Connor) met at the conservatory, shared a love of folk songs, and later—after the war—set out to collect and record folk voices in isolated corners of Maine. The journey served as a framework for their growing intimacy and their encounters with communities that preserved old melodies and stories—but war and time left indelible marks on both memory and relationship.
Hermanus' direction seeks minimalism and "musicality" in the picture: the shots often breathe with the space, and the sound design and musical passages work as a bridge between the visible and the emotional. In one of the film's more unusual solutions - the character's synesthesia - visual and sound solutions are used, which suggest how the music becomes a sensory experience beyond words. This approach has been praised for its delicacy, but also criticized because it sometimes distances the viewer from the purely human warmth of the love story.
The film centers around the acting pairings: Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor deliver performances that are both restrained and charged with inner tension; at times David seems like a magnet—charismatic and elusive—and Lionel carries all the tragedy of the man he remembers and preserves. Chris Cooper plays the elderly narrator, a voice and presence that add retrospective weight to the story. The performances are one of the film's usual strengths and are often cited as its main asset.
Criticism of The History of Sound is mixed: many praise the visual aesthetics, musical sensibility, and acting nuances, but some reviewers find the pace too slow and the emotional payoff insufficient. Several of the reviews describe it as a "melancholic" and "music-oriented" work that can make a patient viewer cry; others find it too distant and delicate to the point of coldness. If you're looking for lavish romantic outbursts — this film won't deliver; if you're looking for a reflective film about memory, song, and loss — it has plenty to offer.
The History of Sound will most affect viewers who love slow, sensual cinema, where music dictates the emotional landscape and where small, quiet scenes carry the greatest significance. If you are looking for vivid scenes and dramatic twists - you will be disappointed; if you are looking for a film that remains in the ears and in the heart like a melody that is not forgotten - this film has the power to touch you. (Its premiere in the competition program of the Cannes Film Festival and further distribution by Mubi/Focus show that the work was conceived and positioned as an "art" title with expectations of critical response).
