The History of Sound

After touching (or boring) audiences with his Ikiru remake Living—which earned Bill Nighy an Oscar nomination—South African director Oliver Hermanus returns to Cannes with what feels like an unofficial remake of Brokeback Mountain, although it’s actually an adaptation of the short story “The History of Sound” by Ben Shattuck. As with Living, he approaches the material with a contemplative, delicate hand (read: slow, uneventful, and emotionally muted). And while the film benefits from careful visuals and poignant performances, it ends up being too subtle for its own good.

Instead of shepherds, the two leads—played by Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor—are music students who, in 1920, travel across New England to collect American folk songs. Along the way, they fall into a forbidden romance. There’s barely any conflict in their journey—or in the film itself. It opts for a soft-spoken, slow-burn take on intimacy but burns through its emotional spark too early (ten minutes in and they’re already together) and then drifts into a long, melancholic haze.

There are undeniably beautiful moments—thanks to the cinematography, the immaculate period design, and the folk songs themselves. The film is most affecting during its quietest stretches: Mescal and O’Connor simply walking, singing, being. It also conveys the passage of time with unexpected grace, capturing the way memories linger. But with little in between those moments, it often feels like that’s all the film has to offer. The performances are appropriately restrained, yet the characters are so inward that it becomes hard to truly connect with them.

By the third act, the film throws in a few dramatic turns clearly meant to stir emotion—and maybe court some awards attention, complete with obvious “Oscar clip” moments—but they feel artificial and outdated. In the two decades since Brokeback Mountain, we’ve seen films explore this kind of material with far more urgency, complexity, and emotional texture. In comparison, The History of Sound feels like a well-preserved relic: reverent, delicate, but ultimately too safe.

Forgive me if you’re a fan, but the film feels like folk music itself—tender, nostalgic, easy to admire, but too subdued to truly stir. If you’re drawn to this style, you may still find beauty in its rhythm. For everyone else, it’s likely to fade quietly into the background.

At a glance

2.5/5

Mixed

Where to watch

mubiPrime Video

Trailer

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