Lionel (Paul Mescal) is a timid folk singer and composer in his 20s, living in rural Massachusetts. He experiences the world in unique ways. He can see his mother cough, and feel a bitter taste in his mouth when his father plays in b-minor. These are symptoms of a condition known as synesthesia (Mark Cousin’s biopic of Scottish painter Wilhelmina “Willie” Barns-Graham addresses this in minute detail). Forty-one-year-old South African director Oliver Hermanus stops right there, immediately changing course of his movie, for no apparent reason. The History of Sound completely disregards its sensory preoccupations in favour of unrequited gay romance. The film is based on Ben Shattuck’ eponymous short story.
Our multi-sensory lead is in love with extroverted and talented David (Josh O’Connor), an artist of the same trade and of around the same age. They embark on a song-collecting journey of New England, saving their findings in Edison wax cylinders (a very primitive sound storage device). They have a smile of infatuation permanently glued to their faces. They never encounter any suspicion of their homosexuality on their travels, which allows them to enjoy their romance to the full.
Despite their impeccable costumes and hairdos, neither man is particularly rich. In fact, both have a sad background. David was brought up in England (this connection serves to justify some scenes in the rural Midlands in the second half of the film), and moved to the United States due to multiple family tragedies: he is now a lone wolf without relatives. Lionel lives with his frail and demanding mother and never-to-be-seen grandfather in a remote and lifeless farm house.
World War 1 soon begins, and fate cruelly separates the two discreet lovebirds. David is drafted into military service, with Lionel returning to his gloomy family home. They are eventually reunited, and move to Maine in the hope of rekindling their relationship. But the more detached and outgoing David has unexpected plans, and a literal ocean materialises between the two. Their connection hangs by a thread, relying mostly on the abilities of the postman. The rest of the story is mostly melancholy and sadness. And fewer songs. The perky soundtrack gradually fades out as the gloomy story unravels.
With a running time of 128 minutes (including nearly 10 minutes of credits), The History of Sound is a shining example of gay assimilation. Hermanus and and Shattuck do not want viewers to experience gay culture and sentiment. Instead, they set out to create a homosexual romance in the mould of a heterosexual one, with two very standard heartthrobs in the lead. The outcome is a very conventional drama. This is a movie with very high production values (translation into plain English: the film has a sizeable budget), with impeccable costumes and settings. Both Mescal and O’Connor deliver strong performances, even if the script never allows their chemistry to develop.
The narrative arc is just too flat. There is no build-up (Lionel and David are already fully in love in their very first scene together, roughly three minutes into the movie). There is no antagonist, and the conflict is just too familiar – you will immediately recognise the twists and turns of Ang Lee’s watershed Brokeback Mountain (2005). The idea that gay men should end up sad and lonely only serves to perpetuate the old and well-worn cliche. And there are other problems. The sex scenes as exciting as the thoughts of David Cameron receiving fellatio from a dead pig. The tunes are as vibrant as fan white noise. The folk music isn’t the issue. Finely crafted cinema has the power to win over the eyes and the ears of movie-goers entirely foreign to the topic. The real issue is that The History of Sound is so cliched and sanitised that it leaves viewers cold and unmoved.
This is LGBT+ cinema at its most commercial, derivative, tedious and uninspiring.
The History of Sound premiered in the Official Competition of 78th Cannes International Film Festival, where this piece was originally written. The UK premiere takes place at the BFI London Film Festival.
