Brokeback Mountain Did it Better

The History of Sound struggles to make a silent NYC theater cry.

The movie "The History of Sound"(THS) had the potential to tell a new story about being queer in the the early 1900s, especially since it touches on World War 1, even if briefly. However, this film lacked emotional depth while it's characters struggled to demonstrate a real emotional connection.

What it felt like watching The History of Sound - the screen could've been blank and I'd feel the same.

Spoilers ahead

The main character, Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal), meets his counterpart, David White (Josh O'Connor) while studying music at the New England Conservatory. Imagine, you're sitting at a pub, in 1917, with your friends at the conservatory and you hear a sad folk song being played at the piano. You'd probably listen for a second, then go back to chatting with your friends, a classic piano bar moment. Not Lionel (Mescal), instead he takes this opportunity to get up and interact with David (O'Connor), somewhat flirtatiously.

While this meet-cute is cute, even with the awkward a-capella singing that even the extras in the movie didn't like, it doesn't make sense in a historical context. Being queer or even flirtatious to a man, regardless of profession or study, in public, in 1917, apparently had no repercussions or animosity throughout the whole film. Sure, the subtle hints at not being able to hug for long time or even give a kiss goodbye was there, but there was no one questioning or challenging their relationship; there was no real threat involved to them fooling around. This is something that makes me struggle to believe that it's a romance film, let alone historical.

Outside of the main characters' relationship, there are jumps to different locations (Rome, London, Kentucky, Maine, etc) where there are significant historical plot holes around how Lionel is a somewhat openly gay musician. In 1923, Rome, he publicly breaks up with his younger boyfriend or student or both (unclear) so that he can move to London for a teaching job. Rome in 1923 is a safe place for this to occur in public? Again, with no one questioning it? I'm still so confused.

Jump to London where Lionel (Mescal) is a choir teacher at Oxford (how fun), where he meets a lovely & charming woman who he ends up forming a real, and meaningful relationship with. He meets the parents, has sex with her in her parents house, and jokes about the paintings on the wall of their room, how normal & heterosexual! This lovely relationship ends abruptly, due to Lionel's mother passing and him needing to go back to the farm in Kentucky (no where near London). So Lionel leaves alone (even though his girlfriend insists on joining him), and this plot line ends with no callbacks, proving it was a complete waste of time.

Then after Lionel goes back to the now empty farm in Kentucky, he's alone and sad for a bit before deciding to drive up to Maine to see if he can find his long lost lover, David. After learning that he died from an unbothered colleague of David's & getting the lackluster reveal that he was married to a woman, Lionel realizes he was brutally ghosted. Too soon?

The film then time jumps, one last time (thankfully), to the 80s, where Lionel is discussing his book of folk music, and about being a teacher, while on a tv/radio show. This then prompts his dead lover's widow to mail the wax recordings of sound that that the duo worked on in 1918 or 1919. In the box, is one wax cylinder that is labeled just for Lionel, marked the year of David's death. A sentimental moment, sure, but it lacks the emotional punch since David isn't even in half of the film.

Watching this film reminded me of Brokeback Mountain, where two friends turned lovers continue on a 20 year long affair where they face real problems (marriage, money, employment, internalized homophobia, etc) that bring these characters to life. You don't get this type of character to audience connection in "THS", instead you get an odd music recording story, that barely scratches the surface of romance and ignores all risks involved; not to mention Brokeback Mountain takes place in the 60s and went through the 80s, but somehow they had more risks than "THS".

Final disappointment: There was nothing about hiding queer tendencies in war, being a closeted teacher at a conservatory, being with a woman and hiding your desires, or anything remotely relatable to the queer experience at the time.

Score: 2.5/5

The acting was good, but I'd wait till streaming for this one. And a bottle of wine might be needed to help with pacing & lubricating the emotions.