Paul Mescal is out here promoting The History of Sound, his new gay romance flick, at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and let’s just say, the dude’s not here for lazy comparisons to Brokeback Mountain.
Fresh off the premiere, the Oscar-nominated actor and his director Oliver Hermanus strutted onto the photo call and press conference circuit on May 22 in sunny Cannes, France. (Honestly, what’s the point of Cannes if you’re not dressed like you just came out of a Vogue photoshoot, right?)
So, what’s The History of Sound about? Picture this: Paul and Josh O’Connor (yes, the Josh O’Connor from The Crown) are two music students—who also happen to be lovers—venturing to rural Maine in the summer of 1919 to capture some folk music. Spoiler alert: it’s not just the tunes they’re recording. Wink wink.
But of course, some critics just couldn’t resist comparing the film to the iconic Brokeback Mountain. Because when you think gay love in the countryside, you definitely think of two movies, right? Sigh.
Paul wasn’t having it, though. During the press conference, he calmly—yet with a hint of sass—said, “I personally don’t see the parallels at all with Brokeback Mountain, other than we spent a little time in a tent.” (Which, honestly, Brokeback was mostly about tents, so I get it.)
He continued, “Brokeback is a beautiful film, but it’s dealing with repression,” and added, “I find those comparisons relatively lazy and frustrating. But for the most part, I think the relationship I have to the film is born out of the fact that it’s a celebration of these men’s love, and not the repression of their sexuality.”
Translation: Get your comparisons right, critics. Not every gay romance with a countryside backdrop is Brokeback. Sometimes, it’s just a bunch of dudes recording folk music—and maybe making out in the process. Nothing to repress about that, babe.
Paul Mescal is done with the Brokeback comparisons, and honestly, who can blame him? It’s like calling every superhero movie a ripoff of Superman. Let’s give the guy some credit for trying to create something fresh, yeah?
(Also, how about that tent? Sounds like we need a sequel: The History of Tents.)
