When you cast Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal in a movie together, there are expectations that that the movie is going to soar bright and high and when you attach director Oliver Hermanus (Living) to it there is a lot of good will that goes into the movie that at least gets the more than casual audience member seated. It doesn’t matter what the story or plot is – there is a lot of good will instilled with this acting duo and the director, but sometimes good will and strong performances are not enough to carry a bewilderingly mundane script that cannot capture the essence of the movie it’s trying to depict that wonderful performances cannot save. This is due to not allowing themselves to be fleshed out enough to evoke any form of emotion or satisfaction, thus we are left with The History of Sound and this sound is a loud snore.
The movie focuses on Lionel and David (Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor) as the movie floats between the time frame around World War 1 (before, during, after, and much later) as they set out to record sound to capture the essence of Americana and the people they surround themselves in to get closer and more acquainted with each other. There is a clear and definitive affection between the two leads, but the constant time jumps and pulling away from their relationship is the detriment here as the audience is expected to care and have strong feelings about these characters and their relationship but Ben Shattuck’s script constantly moves at a pace that does not allow the audience to fall for these characters or their relationship.
Their relationship plays second fiddle to a condensed lecture of historical archives of life during the time period and sound and music, which is a completely different movie that does not match the vibe and chemistry that is shared between O’Connor and Mescal – they’re the focal point throughout the movie with the music history coming off as a less important caveat however this pivot in storytelling and focus on the less dramatized and fictionalized story leaves the audiences wanting more romance and less historical drama.
Hermanus manages to direct The History of Sound tactfully, and weaves the timelines well and Mescal and O’Connor have undeniable chemistry it is just a shame it never gets to be fully fleshed out or allowed or blossom the way that would create an undeniable romance for the ages that would rival some of the greats we have. Instead, we get a history lesson with a shroud of romance that just bewilders the audience and leaves them wanting something more. O’Connor and Mescal do bring their all though, and when their allowed to be on screen together (even though its sparingly) it is magical, and even when apart their longing is clear – making this tragic romance just that, a tragedy.
The History of Sound is quite literally that – the movie is teaching you briefly about the history of sound – the intricacies that it wants to explore are left slightly unanswered and unexplored and the romance we are promised is left unfound mostly. While the performances as a whole are exceptional, the execution and hopes for the film as a whole fall flat and disappoint the audience who are expecting a blossoming story of love and romance and are left with a cliffnotes of a first year university class on the development of sound.
