Oliver Hermanus' The History Of Sound is both musically inert and narratively repetitive, turning its queer romance into a familiar tune.

In this period drama, premiering at Cannes, two of Hollywood's buzziest male actors play lovers making music together – but the film could do with far more passion and urgency.

That’s a question confronted by Oliver Hermanus ’s new film The History of Sound, which premiered here in Cannes on May 21. The film, based on a short story by Ben Shattuck, is about two young men who first meet in 1917,