@Courtesy of MUBI

Which is the best movie ever made about gay romance? In my case, it’s always been a split decision between Happy Together (1997) by Wong Kar-Wai and Brokeback Mountain (2005) by Ang Lee. 

Well, after yesterday’s press screening, such uncertainty has been expanded to The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus. Based on the two short stories written by Ben Shattuck, who then adapted them into the screenplay, the movie talks about the relationship between Lionel Worthing (Paul Meascal) and David White (Josh O’Connor), two young men attending the college in Boston just before World War I. Once back from the conflict in Europe, David asks Lionel to travel with him through Maine in order to record and preserve local folk songs. But even if this experience strengthens their love, the horror of the war is something that David doesn’t seem to be able to overcome…

First and foremost, this is a movie that shows how important it is to find the right rhythm of storytelling in order to develop the depth of the characters. More than the words, more than anything else, is the time we can experience passing by that makes this love story so poignant. But we are not just talking about the sequences that are edited together to develop the story: every single scene in fact owns the power of waiting for the right atmosphere to build, an atmosphere created by silences, delicate sounds, beautiful notes, winter woods, frozen lakes and many more thoughtful details. Everything in The History of Sound participates in order to give to the viewer a feeling of decency and humanity, a connection built through love but also true understanding.

The movie doesn’t hide the difficult times the protagonists live in, on the contrary uses them in order to make their feelings even more powerful, especially when expressed with silences, gazes and words that mean the world to each other. Watching this impossible love story the audience is delightfully forced to step back and enter in a world where people lived at a different pace, and most likely because of that they had the chance to develop feelings which could break the barriers of time, gender, sexuality, social mechanisms. Hermanus uses the editing, the music and the melancholic cinematography by Alexander Dynan (First Reformed, The Card Counter, both by Paul Schrader) to remind us that time can turn into emotion. It is a lesson that contemporary cinema too rarely uses, meaning that The History of Sound is even more precious, since it’s becoming a way to perceive cinema unfortunately more and more rare. 

@Courtesy of MUBI

Of course, his movie wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a remarkable depth without Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. These two actors don’t even really need lines to fill their characters, but since they’re given meaningful dialogues, capable to underline the kindness and the sincerity of Lionel and David, they use them often to express something else, something that is so powerful and tangible under the surface of the events. No matter where the story brings their personal lives, you never doubt for a moment that they are totally in love. And this, again, happens because the movie is built also through moments that allow that same love to re-surface in one gaze, in one silence, in one scene where a character just wanders at night through empty rooms. In the case of Hermanus’ movie, music has the power of linking different people and different times, art is a tool used to connect humanity and discover the beauty of sharing these intimate moments. 

There is a little chance The History of Sound will actively participate in the upcoming award season, and that’s a pity. The movie directed by Oliver Hermanus is a work of art capable of fully portraying the warmth of its two main characters behind the elegance of the mise en scene. Paul Mescal and especially Josh O’Connor are superb in the roles of two men who represent decency, love, and strong values rooted in their soul. One of the best movies of 2025.

Rate: A

If you liked the review, share your thoughts below.

Check out more of Adriano’s articles. 

Here’s the trailer for The History of Sound: