By Mahnoosh Arsalan
Correspondent
Stories are found in the mundanest of actions, the simplest of feelings and the normality of everyday interactions. Stories exist everywhere, especially in music.
With that comes love. Love exists in friendship, nature and even exists when you don’t want it there. As unique love is for its strong presence and stubbornness for existence, it has a universal impact.
Oliver Hermanus ties the importance of music and love in his newest film, “The History of Sound,” starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. The story follows Lionel, played by Mescal and David, played by O’Connor, two young music students in the Boston Conservatory in the early 1900s.
As their love for one another grows, they embark on a song-collecting trip around New England, hoping to record as many songs as they can and collect the physical media.
The film is currently being screened in select theaters across the country and has extremely limited showtimes, so it’s on track to be on streaming services quite soon. MUBI, a streaming service/production company making its way through the film industry, produced this film, along with “Aftersun,” “The Substance” and more.
“The History of Sound” presents the viewers with Lionel, a soft-spoken, well-mannered boy from a farm in Kentucky, growing up with a love for music. He contrasts with David, an extroverted, more “life of the party” type of boy who shares the same love for music.
Throughout the movie, the audience becomes close to Lionel. We see Lionel’s relationship with his family and how his father introduced him to music. David grew up lacking in that department, not having a family in close quarters.
We even see into Lionel’s home: the farm he grew up on, the work he and his father did together and how he takes care of his mother.
While Lionel continues his studies at the Boston Conservatory, David spends time in the military fighting in World War I.
David’s character remains mysterious for most of the movie, while the viewers mostly follow every single part of Lionel’s life, further juxtaposing the two figures. Lionel and David are vastly different beings, with different personalities, emotions and coping mechanisms. The only thing the two even begin to have in common is their sonic love.
Despite their many differences, Lionel and David love music and at the end of the day, they love each other. The two aspire to share their stories with the world and hope for others like them to create music. Ultimately, they want to live in a world where telling any kind of story can sound beautiful and thoughtful.
The film creates a strong argument for how the mixing of love and music can create beautiful relationships, however, the film poses an even stronger argument for the importance of real, tangible media. Since Lionel and David go on a song recording trip in the film, the movie puts importance on collecting and taking care of physical musical recordings.
The fight to keep music alive doesn’t end with creating more music. The upkeep of older music is just as important and relevant to how the future of music progresses.
“The History of Sound” is an excellent portrayal of the hardships of life and love and how music ties everything together.
