PAUL MESCAL RECEIVED a six-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival for The History of Sound.

The historical romantic drama film directed by Oliver Hermanus and written by Ben Shattuck, follows the relationship between Lionel (Mescal) and David (Josh O’Connor).

The characters spend the summer of 1920 travelling around rural Maine, recording folk songs of the people there.

The film proved popular with attendees of the premiere in Cannes yesterday, where it was nominated for a Palm d’Or, the festival’s highest award for a director of a feature film.

Paul Mescal beams after the #Cannes premiere of “The History of Sound,” which earned a six-minute ovation. https://t.co/86SPJQB8qz pic.twitter.com/AuZKuK7wti

— Variety (@Variety) May 21, 2025

Mescal appeared chuffed with the six-minute standing ovation.

It is common for films to get a standing ovation at Cannes, but those in excess of five minutes indicate a particularly good reception.

However, the performance at Cannes often doesn’t match the mood of film critics. The Guardian said the film was “tin-eared,” while the Irish Times described it as “flimsy”.

Mescal’s co-star O’Connor wasn’t present at the screening as he is finishing a shoot for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, Variety reported.

Mescal took questions from the media about the film.

He said the comparison between The History of Sound and Brokeback Mountain – due to them both featuring gay romance – is “lazy and frustrating”.

“When I look at Brokeback Mountain, it’s dealing with the idea of repression. This film is fundamentally pointed in the opposite direction.

“It’s a celebration of these two men’s love, not a kind of film about their relationship with their repressed sexuality.”