03 Feb

18:30

Het Ketelhuis

Pazzanistraat 4, Amsterdam

In a beautiful portrait of a bygone era, two talented music students meet just before World War I. They decide to travel together and make traditional folk music, a decision that changes their lives.

The History of Sound

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Roze Filmdagen Monthly Special

In a beautiful portrait of a bygone era, two talented music students—Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor—meet just before the First World War. They decide to travel together and make traditional folk music, a decision that changes their lives.

Lionel and David meet in a bar in New England, where their love for folk music brings them together. However, the First World War drives them apart. After the war, they find each other again and travel through the heart of America while making music together. They are happy, but they know that, in the world they live in, their happiness cannot last.

Like his earlier film Living (2022), Oliver Hermanus’ visually strong adaptation of Ben Shattuck's novel is a dedicated retelling of the past. This portrait of desire and nostalgia once again has the intensity of Hermanus’ other films, such as Skoonheid (2011) and The Endless River (2015). Mescal and O’Connor solidify their status as two of the most versatile actors of the moment with their portrayal of the complex and turbulent emotions of Lionel and David. The film's music – including a contemporary song that could very well be the smartest soundtrack of the year – captures this early musical era with great sensitivity: sounds of passing time mingle with the fading sounds of certain communities.