Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor Do Good Work, But They Can’t Save The History of Sound

Two young men embark on a forbidden romance. They bond over a shared passion for their chosen vocation, culminating in a long trip alone in the American countryside, and they spend the rest of their lives reliving the ephemeral joy of that short time together. No, this review is not about Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee’s taboo-breaking Western from 20 years ago, but The History of Sound, a drama that follows ethnomusicologists rather than cowboys. Like Lee, director Oliver Hermanus casts exciting young actors in the lead roles, right when they are on the cusp of superstardom. But whereas Lee’s film burrowed into the anguish and interiority of tortured characters, Hermanus and screenwriter Ben Shattuck, who adapted his own short stories, seem hesitant to depict anything uncomfortable. So when