The history of sound - LeinwandLounge - Art House Cinema

Great Britain / USA 2025, 127 min, English with German subtitles
Director: Oliver Hermanus
Cast: Paul Mescal, Josh O'Connor, Michael Schantz, Alison Bartlett, Molly Price, Hadley Robinson, Chris Cooper

Lionel (Paul Mescal) grows up in rural Kentucky, shaped by his father's songs and the simple life on the family farm. In 1917, he leaves his hometown to study at the music conservatory in Boston. There, he meets the charismatic composer David (Josh O'Connor). A deep connection develops between the two – until David's enlistment in the war abruptly separates them. After the end of World War I, fate brings them back together. Together, they travel through snowy Maine in the winter of 1920 to collect traditional folk songs and preserve them for future generations. It is a time of intense closeness that Lionel will never forget. In the following years, Lionel lives in Europe, leads a fulfilling life, maintains several relationships, and makes a name for himself as a musician. Yet the memory of David never leaves him.

"Inventively told, originally illustrated, and brilliantly acted: arthouse cinema with philosophical value!" (programmkino.de)
"Despite all the emotional turbulence, the actors remain as restrained as the melancholic film, which tells much through hints and omissions – until the quiet story of an unfulfilled love hits you all the harder." (Viennale)
"The finest and most beautiful film of the competition [at Cannes]" (Frankfurter Rundschau)
Distributor: Universal Pictures