The History of Sound

The story begins in 1917 amid World War I, charting Lionel and David through the late 1910s and early 1920s as they pursue folk music across continents. It shifts from youthful romance to later life as Lionel becomes an ethnomusicologist, with a European interlude and a return to the United States. The narrative culminates in 1980, when Lionel receives the wax cylinders and confronts the past he has carried for decades.

From the urban bustle of Boston to the rural farms of Kentucky, the tale spans diverse American landscapes. It also travels to Europe, with key moments in Rome and Oxford shaping Lionel's career and relationships. The settings—conservatory halls, family farms, a country manor, and university towns—frame the intimate memory of folk songs within a broader cultural journey.

💔 Love and Loss

A deep romance unfolds across distance, war, and time between Lionel and David. Their bond endures through letters and shared songs, yet is crushed by David's death from shell shock. The ache of loss drives Lionel's lifelong dedication to music and memory.

🎶 Memory & Music

Folk songs become vessels of memory, gathered on wax cylinders to preserve personal and cultural histories. Recording blurs the line between intimate affection and public archive, linking private longing with a nation's musical heritage. Decades later, the cylinders reconnect Lionel with a past he never stopped cherishing.

🪖 War & Trauma

World War I casts a long shadow, shaping choices and relationships through shell shock and displacement. The trauma influences the lovers and the course of Lionel's life, including his sense of duty to family and career. The film explores resilience, guilt, and the slow, healing process that follows trauma.