Paul Mescal on the great revolution in cinema, and it's not about artificial intelligence

Compared to “Brokeback Mountain,” the drama “The History of Sound” moved Cannes audiences. It stars Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor as lovers. According to the “Gladiator 2” star, while his film doesn’t attempt to redefine masculinity, there’s less and less room for alpha males in contemporary cinema.

Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor star in Oliver Hermanus' The History of Sound as two musicians who travel to New England in the summer of 1919 to record local folk music.

Although the work has been compared to the acclaimed "Brokeback Mountain," Mescal is annoyed by such comparisons, calling them "lazy and frustrating." He sees no similarities between the two productions, except that both characters spend some time in tents.

The star also has something to say about the way contemporary cinema portrays patterns of masculinity.

- It's constantly changing. I think that in current cinema we are moving away from the traditional alpha male characters. I don't think the film defines or tries to redefine masculinity. It presents a very subjective approach to the relationship between the characters of Lionel and David. The film is a celebration of the love between these men, not a repression of their sexuality - says Mescal, quoted by Variety.

The popular actor also talked about working with O'Connor, who could not attend the premiere in Cannes because he is currently finishing filming Steven Spielberg's latest film.

"Josh is a wonderful gift. He is very similar to how the audience perceives him. That is very difficult for an actor these days. We have known each other for five years and our friendship helped us build a foundation right away, but the relationship between the characters in the film depended on the time we spent shooting," he says.

"The History of Sound" was applauded at Cannes for six minutes. The film also stars Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Briana Middleton and Gary Raymond.