Following a world premiere at Cannes, Oliver Hermanus brought his “The History of Sound” to the east coast on Monday night for its New York City premiere. His historical wartime romance follows Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor as they journey through a post-World War America, and follows a decades-long quiet connection that reverberates through one man’s lifetime.
Early buzz of the film teased hot and steamy sex scenes between the co-stars. However, following its debut in France, the film’s approach opted to tell a softer love story without explicit intimacy. “There are many different kinds of sex scenes in the film, one of which is Paul’s character just walking around Josh’s character’s house, his apartment,” Hermanus told IndieWire on the red carpet. “I tried to, you know, suggest that queer people, gay people, can have relationships that are more than just hookups. This is about the deeper things. I’m proud of my choice.”
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As for how the duo developed their chemistry, the director said that it was obvious from the very beginning. “We hung out a few times in London a lot and there was one night I was at a friend’s house and they were both over, I think I was DJing, I was hanging out, and it was immediately at ease with which they got on, and by the time we were shooting the movie, it was its own thing,” he said.
“I’ve done my fair share of sex scenes, I’m like, ‘been there, done that,’” Mescal previously told us at Cannes. “What feels slightly different about this from [other] romantic relationships onscreen, I would say in the hierarchy of their relationship, physical touch isn’t the priority. It’s intellectual stimulation, it’s friendship. Not that they’re not physically attracted to each other; they very much are, but their chemistry is born from this shared love of these folk songs, and it extends from there.”
With this project, O’Connor will have three indie releases in 2025 alone, along with “Rebuilding” and “The Mastermind.” Reflecting on often starring in independent films, he told us, “I don’t necessarily see them as independent movies or studio or anything like that. It’s really to do with just good stories, characters, that feel like they’re challenging me or, oftentimes, characters that I can learn from and develop as a person.”
Earlier this year, O’Connor wrapped filming on Steven Spielberg’s next film, set to release in 2026. He told us that working with the director was “the best ever. He’s the boss, I learned so much from him. He’s still inquisitive. He’s still excited, like a child, when he sees something he likes, he wants to do it more. He’s a big inspiration to me.” The project also stars Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, and Eve Hewson. Kristie Macosko Krieger will produce for Amblin Entertainment.
“The History of Sound” received positive reviews at Cannes, with IndieWire’s Ryan Lattanzio writing that “The false notes are rare in director Oliver Hermanus’ affecting and dustily textured romance ‘The History of Sound,’ written by Ben Shattuck from his own short story about men in love, together and apart, circa World War I and its aftermath. But for a queer love story starring two of the hottest, of-this-moment leading actors around — Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor— ‘The History of Sound’ almost perversely denies your expectations of what a gay romance could be.”
MUBI will release the film on Friday, September 12.
