The trailer for the historical gay romance The History of Sound has just arrived. The film stars Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor.
The film had its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where it was nominated for the festival’s top award the Palme D’Or.
The film i8s based on a short story by Ben Shattuck, who also wrote the screenplay.
Here’s how the film is described in it’s promotional blurb.
Lionel (Mescal) is a talented singer from rural Kentucky raised on the songs his father would sing on the front porch. In 1917, he leaves his family farm to attend the Boston Music Conservatory. There he meets David (O’Connor), a charming music composing student who is soon drafted into the end of the war.
In 1920, the two spend a winter walking through the forests and islands of Maine, collecting folk songs in order to preserve them for future generations. Lionel drifts through Europe in his twenties and thirties, building a new life of profound success and happiness, and experiencing new loves.
Yet he is constantly drawn back to memories of his brief time with David, trying to understand the impact of their relationship. Eventually, a reminder of their work together reveals why their connection rang loud.
Josh O’Connor got widespread recognition when he played Prince Charles in two series of the The Crown. He’s also appeared in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. He previously appeared in the gay drama Go’d Own Country in 2017.
Paul Mescal got his big break in the TV series Normal People and has gone on to appear in films including The Lost Daughter, Aftersun, and Gladiator II. He got high praise for his performance opposite Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers.
The film is directed by Oliver Hermanus, whose previous film Beauty won the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. His other works include Shirley Adams (2009), The Endless River (2015), Moffie (2019), and Living (2022).
The trailer features the folk song Silver Dagger which was made popular by Joan Baez in the 1960s. The song has many variations as it’s history shows it being shared across the USA with its roots potentially coming from Britain. The folk song Katy Dear uses the same tune but with different variations of lyrics.
Over the decades the song has been recorded by many artists including Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Roger Mcguinn, and many others. The melody was also used by British electronic pop band Saint Etienne for their hit Like a Motorway.
