Love, loss, and longing take center stage in The History of Sound, a sweeping queer period drama starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor that’s already generating major buzz ahead of its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Mary & George), the film tells a story of connection between two men at a time when being seen—let alone loved—was a risk in itself. And yet, The History of Sound deliberately shifts away from clichés of fear or shame, choosing instead to celebrate intimacy, curiosity, and emotional truth between two queer characters in the early 20th century.
A Queer Love Story Told Through Sound
Adapted from Ben Shattuck’s Pushcart Prize-winning short story, The History of Sound follows Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor), two young men traveling across the United States during World War I to record the voices, songs, and stories of Americans whose lives are shaped by the war.
📸 [Space for image: Mescal shirtless in water; O’Connor smoking alone; the pair laughing over coffee]
Their journey becomes more than just a mission of documentation—it becomes a tender romance.
“There’s a real sense of companionship, and the joy and loss that comes with the presence and absence of that,” Mescal told Vanity Fair. “It’s not just about sex or falling in love. It’s deeper.”
Director Hermanus intentionally avoids the tragic framing often associated with historical queer love stories.
“I didn’t want it to feel like a transgression,” Hermanus said. “Ben wrote it in a way where there was no hesitation, no moment of fear. It’s not about them risking being sexual—it’s just love.”
Chemistry in Every Frame
The casting of Mescal and O’Connor—both coming off acclaimed queer roles in All of Us Strangers and Challengers, respectively—felt like kismet, though the production nearly missed its moment.
“We probably couldn’t have made this in 2022,” Hermanus said. “They weren’t the Paul and Josh we now know.”
Mescal called the experience “lucky” and praised O’Connor for unlocking a side of him he hadn’t felt in years.
“He brought out this childlike version of me,” Mescal said. “That kind of boyishness—I hadn’t felt that in a long time.”
Their on-screen connection radiates not just romance, but vulnerability—a central part of what makes The History of Sound such a refreshing entry in the queer film canon.
Photo: Vanity Fair
Photo: Vanity Fair
Minimal Sex, Maximum Intimacy
Unlike many queer dramas that either skirt around or overemphasize sex, The History of Sound keeps physical moments quiet and natural. Hermanus said the most intimate scene isn’t even in bed.
“It’s when Lionel is wandering through David’s apartment the next morning,” he said. “He’s smelling everything, sitting everywhere—absorbing the energy of someone he loves.”
The choice reinforces the emotional depth of their relationship without relying on spectacle.
A Cannes Contender With Queer Heart
The History of Sound will premiere at Cannes 2025, where it will compete for the Palme d’Or. The film joins a strong wave of queer storytelling that pushes beyond pain and shame, and instead honors love in all its layered complexity.
The supporting cast includes Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Brianna Middleton and Gary Raymond.
As Hermanus puts it, The History of Sound is “a film about queer love, but it’s also a film about feeling seen, and hearing each other—even in silence.”
Photo: Vanity Fair
Photo: Vanity Fair
