Paul Mescal And Josh O’Connor’s The History Of Sound Is Out This Week
Two of Hollywood’s biggest rising stars are starring together in a new historical drama film: Gladiator II and Normal People’s Paul Mescal and Challengers and The Crown’s Josh O’Connor play two travelling folk musicians who fall in love with each other in the early 1920s. Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living), the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Here’s everything you need to know about the new release.
What is The History of Sound about?
The upcoming film is based on a short story of the same name by writer Ben Shattuck. An ambitious period drama set in the early 20th Century, The History of Sound centres around Lionel (Mescal), a young farm boy who earns a place at a performing arts college in Boston, and the confident and outgoing David (O’Connor), who’s already a fan of folk music. Lionel gets into the college on the strength of his singing voice, but until he meets David, he is largely reserved and afraid of putting himself out there, despite his amazing musical talents. When he finally meets David, who loves the freedom that folk songs bring, the two begin to fall for each other, and the film explores their relationship and its impact on both men.
After the end of World War I, the two men reunite to go on a journey across Maine, where they aim to collect and perform various folk songs, as well as generally going on a journey of self-exploration. The narrative will continue to unfold from there, with Lionel eventually travelling to Europe. But, according to an interview with Mescal in Vanity Fair, the main focus of the story is Lionel’s life and where his passions will take him. As he becomes a musical success, he begins to wonder how much of his life was changed by David, and whether the two were meant to be together.
What else do we know, and who else stars?
The History of Sound made its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the festival’s top award, and debuts this week (23rd January, 2026). The book of the same name by Ben Shattuck is set to be released on 11th September. Also in the cast are Molly Price (Babygirl), Raphael Sbarge (Gaslit), Hadley Robinson (The Boys in the Boat) and Emma Canning (Dune Prophecy).
