Josh O'Connor & Paul Mescal in 'The History of Sound' first-look photos
Ever since the movie The History of Sound was announced, it's been one of the most buzzed-about movies in Hollywood.
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Not only does it star rising actors Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) and Josh O'Connor (Challengers), but it also features the two of them in a historical gay romance.
Directed by Oliver Hermanus, the film is about two men who set out to record the sounds and songs of their countrymen during World War I.
Thanks to a new Vanity Fair first look, we know a lot more details.
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According to Vanity Fair, the movie "examines the seismic impact of a fleeting romantic encounter between Lionel (Mescal) and David (O'Connor), two students at the New England Conservatory during World War I."
When Lionel hears David singing a folk song from his youth at a piano bar, he's instantly enamored. The two try to remain in each other's lives, but world events are getting in the way.
"David is vocal, David has ideas, David is wealthy. And Lionel is kind of just being overwhelmed by this person, but in a very slow-drip way—taking a long time to quantify the impact of this moment in his life and this relationship," Hermanus told Vanity Fair. "That's just relatable to me, I guess. We all have people who define us, but we don't realize they defined us until it's too late."
The two meet up again years after college and embark on a trip around the Northeast to collect folk ballads.
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While the film is romantic, it also has its share of tragedy.
"I'm a gay man. I would love to go to the movies and watch a movie about a same-sex relationship that maybe makes me cry, but feels fulfilling. So much of queer cinema—and I've made queer cinema like this—is about the struggles,' Hermanus said. "For me, this has always been about wanting it to be accessible to everyone. We're not going to make a movie about the problematizing of their relationship or their sexuality."
"The film definitely has romantic gestures in it—intensely so in some places—but it is fundamentally about Lionel's life," Mescal added. "It's actually important to let audiences know not to come just expecting [romance]. It's a beautiful section of the film, and it has a lasting impact, but it's a subjective understanding of Lionel's experience of that love."
The History of Sound is a passion project for Hermanus, Mescal, and O'Connor, who have all been interested in the script for years.
The film will premiere later this month at the Cannes Film Festival before being released by Mubi in theaters in the U.S. later this year.
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