Paul Mescal's 'sexless' gay romance The History Of Sound is branded 'Brokeback Mountain on sedatives' and 'too polite' by critics after nine minute Cannes ovation

Daily Mail​

22-05-2025

Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor's new gay romance The History Of Sound premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
The film was very well received at Cannes, receiving an impressive nine-minute standing ovation - but critics haven't been so convinced.
Based on the short story of the same name by Ben Shattuck, The History Of Sound stars Paul and Josh as love interests Lionel and David.
It follows their journey as they travel together to record the stories and songs of their countrymen during the shadow of the WW1.
But as the first reviews for the film dropped on Thursday, critics branded the romance 'Brokeback Mountain on sedatives' as they complained about the lack of steamy scenes.
Critics praised the performances of its lead actors, with one even calling it 'one of the most unabashedly romantic LGBTQ films in recent memory', but many instead branded it 'too polite' and 'monotonous'.
Left unimpressed by the film, Owen Gleiberman for Variety said: 'The History of Sound,' which might be described as a minimalist 'Masterpiece Theatre'-on-the-frontier riff on 'Brokeback,' is a drama that mostly just sits there.
'It's far from incompetent, but it's listless and spiritually inexpressive. It's 'Brokeback Mountain' on sedatives.'
Meanwhile Jo-Ann Titmarsh for The Standard rating 2*: 'For a film about music and harmony, alas this story is pretty monotonous. Ironically, it is not helped by the score.
'Mescal and O'Connor put in fine performances here, but the problem lies in the screenplay and direction, which allows little joy or change of pace to muscle their way in.'
Nicholas Barber for the BBC said: 'The screenplay by Ben Shattuck is adapted from his own short story, and yet, with its leisurely pace and multiple endings, the film feels longer than its two-hour running time.
'It's left to the melancholy ballads of heartbreak and grief to provide the piercing emotion that is lacking elsewhere. The most romantic sequence has Lionel and David walking through the woods, harmonising exquisitely without any preparation, so it's a shame that such songs are missing for so much of this polite and polished film.'
'The accents and line-readings feel like painstaking expert reconstructions rather than the real thing and the love scenes are at half-throttle – as if they are there to be remembered sadly rather than experienced ecstatically in the here and now,' added Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian.
'Everything here is out of the top drawer of production value: but it never really comes to passionate life.'
Richard Lawson for Vanity Fair agreed, saying: 'The tent stuff does, inevitably, bring to mind Brokeback Mountain, another restrained, handsomely staged drama of gay men in harsh times. But History of Sounds is on an even lower simmer than that film, asking its audience to sustain themselves mostly on loaded looks and hushed subtext.
'Too often the film's muted emotion feels more gimmicky than credible to Lionel and David's circumstances, particularly because Hermanus is so demure about sex; we barely even see the men kissing.'
Ed Potton for The Times said: 'The last act has a disappointing inevitability, with little of the transcendent emotion of the first hour.'
But other critics gushed over the performances of its stars and applauded its use of music to convey emotion.
Pete Hammond for Deadline said: 'This may be Mescal's best work in films yet.' Added: 'The History of Sound belongs to Mescal and O'Connor, who both committed to it pre-pandemic well before either became Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning major stars.
'They stuck with it through all the delays and should be rewarded for their loyalty to Hermanus, who has made a film that will stay in your head for a very long time, it's that good.'
'A tender, decade-spanning love story, exquisitely told by director Oliver Hermanus, The History of Sound is yet another wonderful showcase for the considerable talents of Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal,' James Mottram for Radio Times said.
David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter added: 'If you tap into History Of Sound's soulful undercurrents, the soaring spiritual dimensions of the music — in songs more often about people than Divinity — and the depth of feeling in Mescal and O'Connor's performances, this is a film of lingering melancholic beauty.
'The power of the music alone makes it one of the most unabashedly romantic LGBTQ films in recent memory.'
THE HISTORY OF SOUND: WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
Nicholas Barber for the BBC says: 'The screenplay by Ben Shattuck is adapted from his own short story, and yet, with its leisurely pace and multiple endings, the film feels longer than its two-hour running time.
'It's left to the melancholy ballads of heartbreak and grief to provide the piercing emotion that is lacking elsewhere. The most romantic sequence has Lionel and David walking through the woods, harmonising exquisitely without any preparation, so it's a shame that such songs are missing for so much of this polite and polished film.'
Rating:
Jo-Ann Titmarsh for The Standard says: 'For a film about music and harmony, alas this story is pretty monotonous. Ironically, it is not helped by the score. Mescal and O'Connor put in fine performances here, but the problem lies in the screenplay and direction, which allows little joy or change of pace to muscle their way in.
Rating:
Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian says: The accents and line-readings feel like painstaking expert reconstructions rather than the real thing and the love scenes are at half-throttle – as if they are there to be remembered sadly rather than experienced ecstatically in the here and now.
'Everything here is out of the top drawer of production value: but it never really comes to passionate life.'
Rating:
Ed Potton for The Times says: 'The last act has a disappointing inevitability, with little of the transcendent emotion of the first hour.'
Rating:
Richard Lawson for Vanity Fair: 'The tent stuff does, inevitably, bring to mind Brokeback Mountain, another restrained, handsomely staged drama of gay men in harsh times. But History of Sounds is on an even lower simmer than that film, asking its audience to sustain themselves mostly on loaded looks and hushed subtext.
'Too often the film's muted emotion feels more gimmicky than credible to Lionel and David's circumstances, particularly because Hermanus is so demure about sex; we barely even see the men kissing.'
Owen Gleiberman for Variety: 'The History of Sound,' which might be described as a minimalist 'Masterpiece Theatre'-on-the-frontier riff on 'Brokeback,' is a drama that mostly just sits there. It's far from incompetent, but it's listless and spiritually inexpressive. It's 'Brokeback Mountain' on sedatives.'
Pete Hammond for Deadline: 'This may be Mescal's best work in films yet.' Added: 'The History of Sound belongs to Mescal and O'Connor, who both committed to it pre-pandemic well before either became Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning major stars.
'They stuck with it through all the delays and should be rewarded for their loyalty to Hermanus, who has made a film that will stay in your head for a very long time, it's that good.'
James Mottram for Radio Times says: 'A tender, decade-spanning love story, exquisitely told by director Oliver Hermanus, The History of Sound is yet another wonderful showcase for the considerable talents of Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal.'
Rating:
David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter: 'If you tap into History Of Sound's soulful undercurrents, the soaring spiritual dimensions of the music — in songs more often about people than Divinity — and the depth of feeling in Mescal and O'Connor's performances, this is a film of lingering melancholic beauty.