The History of Sound is Marvelous

War changes people.  This is something I am very well aware of as the daughter of a Marine.  Serving one’s country leaves scars beneath the surface that are embedded so far, no amount of therapy or love can reach them. Unless it’s your first love, who might be your greatest and your last.

Based on Ben Shattuck’s original short story, Lionel (Paul Mescal) a young, talented music student meets David (Josh O’Connor) at the Boston Conservatory, where they bond over a deep love of folk music. Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs. This unexpected reunion, love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, will shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness.

Taking place in 1917’s England, these two souls are very liberated with a strong sense of self and openness.  One of my favorite moments is when they share a simple taste of water from the same glass.  It’s a seductive, yet flirty gesture proving more than music can bring people.  As time moves onward and their lives shift and change one realizes that there are some people you never stop loving no matter how hard you try.

Yet, the actual evolution on film on how sound is captured is fascinating to witness with actors handling original Thomas Edison museum pieces to record and test sound.  It’s an invention we take for granted in our world today, as we literally record everything from  voicemails to television movies and series.

Remember, this was a generation that primarily communicated via letters. If they died, you’d never hear it again. There’s something about the idea of being able to keep something like sound, which we can’t see or touch, which we have the ability to hear even when it’s not being produced by the person or the thing that it comes from, that’s magic.

In the modern world we have the privilege of listening to music on our phones or sound systems as an emotional experience, a healing experience, a calming experience. We just don’t think about what was before and sound in this film is  tied so strongly to memory off a moment once shared, of a song once heard.

Josh O’ Connor as David is sweet, yet emotionally tortured and complicated making him a joy to watch against Mescal whose quiet fire intensity drives both characters simultaneously. Their scenes apart are even more powerful and poignant than the scene they inhabit as one.

Giving notes of Brokeback Mountain engulfed around the world of folk, bluegrass, classical and blues music ranging from the hills of Kentucky to Boston, to Maine and Rome, The History of Sound also provides two the best male performances of 2025 with Mescal and O’Connor.  The film provides many twist and turns and just when you think you have figured out the plot it shifts into a beautiful and tastefully done story that should be on everyone’s must see list.