Two young men during World War I set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen.
Paul Mescal brings the same introspective charm that gently lit ‘Normal People’ and ‘Aftersun’ to the role of Lionel, a golden-voiced singing student of humble rural origins who is gifted with synaesthesia wherein stimulation of one sense triggers experience of another. Josh O’Connor’s ethno-musicologist David is more angular, urbane and theatrical, flamboyant of gesture with a slightly smug smirk. He also possesses a photographic - or rather phonographic - memory for folk songs. When the two men embark on a field trip, their journey of musical discovery leads to mutual discovery, and the two fall in love. The lead performances are remarkable, particularly Mescal’s - just to watch him listening is galvanizing. This beautiful-looking, measured period piece is allowed to resonate quietly and linger in the mind and ears of the viewer.
USA/UK 2025 Oliver Hermanus 128m
