Paul Mescal arrived at Cannes with an air of seduction that seemed to be casting its spell over the festival. The blazing young star of "The History of Sound" was warmly embraced by the festival audience during the world premiere of Oliver Hermanus' new competition film on Wednesday night in Cannes. Hermanus and Mescal strode confidently down the red carpet, while co-star Josh O'Connor, unfortunately, missed the Croisette debut of "History of Sound" but is anticipated to arrive on Friday for the premiere of Kelly Reichardt's "The Mastermind," where he also stars.
Other stars who joined Mescal on the "History of Sound" red carpet included cast members Raphael Sbarge, Molly Price, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, and Peter Mark Kendall, alongside "Fast & Furious" star Michelle Rodriguez. John C. Reilly and Italian actor Alessandro Borghi were also present, attending with their neo-Western film "Heads or Tails?" which screened in Un Certain Regard. Julian Assange, in town for the premiere of director Eugene Jarecki's documentary on the WikiLeaks founder, "The 6 Billion Dollar Man," also made an appearance.
The historical romantic drama follows the journey of David (O'Connor) and Lionel (Mescal), two young men who meet in 1917 at the Boston Music Conservatory and later traverse rural Maine, capturing American folk songs in the aftermath of World War I. "The History of Sound" is based on the eponymous short story by Ben Shattuck, who adapted it for the screen. Hermanus is renowned for his 2011 film "Beauty," which won the Queer Palm at Cannes, the BAFTA-nominated South African LGBTQ drama "Moffie" (2019), and the 2022 film "Living," starring Bill Nighy.
Mubi will distribute "The History of Sound" in North America, while Universal Pictures International will handle its release in international territories. The film was greeted with warm and enthusiastic applause as Mescal and Hermanus shared an embrace. Taking the microphone, Hermanus expressed his gratitude to his "brother-in-arms that could not be here, Josh O'Connor," who is currently busy shooting a film. "We miss him, we love him," he said. The director hailed the project as "one of the great creative collaborations of my very short career" and thanked his star for bringing it to life. "We would have never got this movie done (without him)," he emphasized. "This is a testament to the genius of Paul Mescal."
