He starts his musical journey by enrolling at The Boston Conservatory after being recommended by a local music teacher. Once there, he meets David (Josh O’Connor). They bond over a shared love of indigenous folk music and soon develop a physical relationship. It is one of discovery.

This is soon interrupted by David’s enlistment in the army and then departing to fight in the trenches in World War I. When David returns, he and Lionel reconnect and end up travelling around rural areas in the South documenting the local music by recording it on one of Thomas Edison’s early phonographs. They remain close, but the war has changed David, and they soon drift apart.

The rest of the film follows the intricacies of Lionel’s life journey. We come to learn he is a bit of a narcissist and makes selfish life decisions, easily discarding romantic partners, both male and female. It also speaks of the power of a good story that we are kept enthralled by Lionel’s life, even with all of his less-than-stellar actions.
Rob Hudson
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Lionel (Mescal) is a talented singer from rural Kentucky raised on the songs his father would sing on the front porch. In 1917, he leaves his family farm to attend the Boston Music Conservatory.

There he meets David (O’Connor), a charming music composing student who is soon drafted into the end of the war. In 1920, the two spend a winter walking through the forests and islands of Maine, collecting folk songs in order to preserve them for future generations. Lionel drifts through Europe in his twenties and thirties, building a new life of profound success and happiness, and experiencing new loves.

Yet he is constantly drawn back to memories of his brief time with David, trying to understand the impact of their relationship. Eventually, a reminder of their work together reveals why their connection rang loudest.

Starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, The History of Sound will be released in Aussie cinemas December 18!
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Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs.

This unexpected reunion, ensuing love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, will shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness.
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