Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Paul Mescalis calling out the repeated comparisons betweenBrokeback Mountainand his new gay romance film,The History of Sound. During a recent press conference at theCannes Film Festival, theAll of Us Strangersstar spoke out againstreviewsthatdraw connectionsbetweenthe two films, calling them "lazy and frustrating" and denying any similarities. "I personally don't see the parallels at all withBrokeback Mountain, other than we spent a little time in a tent," Mescal quipped in video footage of the event. "[Brokeback] is a beautiful film but it is dealing with the idea of repression, and this film is fundamentally pointed in the opposite direction." "So, to be honest, I find those comparisons relatively lazy and frustrating," he continued, "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 between these two men's love and not a film about their repressed relationship with their sexuality." Oliver Hermanus'The History of Soundfollows two musicians who travel to New England during the summer of 1919 to record folk songs. Mescal stars alongsideJosh O'Connoras Lionel and David, respectively, who meet while attending the Boston Music Conservatory in 1917 and decide to travel together after World War I. Alongside Mescal and O'Connor, the film stars Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Briana Middleton, and Gary Raymond. Fair Winter LLC Ang Lee's critically acclaimedBrokeback MountainstarsHeath LedgerandJake Gyllenhaalas two cowboys who form a secret romance in 1960s Wyoming, despite eventually meeting and marrying two women (Michelle WilliamsandAnne Hathaway). At the time of its release,Brokeback Mountain's nuanced portrayal of queer romance was hailed as one of the best films on the subject, by bothcritics and audiences alike. So it's no surprise thatHistory of Soundis drawing comparisons to the award-winning film considering the emphasis on connection and the complexity of romantic relationships. Both films are also adapted from short stories. That focus on love is what drew Mescal to the script, which he recalled first reading when he was 24 years old — four years before they would eventually shoot the film. "Love is a very complicated — what's the thing, Andrew Scott's speech inFleabagabout love at the end at the wedding. That's what I think about," Mescal said. Kimberly French/Focus Features Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. "It's a very hard thing to pin down," he continued. "What I found so moving about the screenplay is that it's never really described in words, it's described in actions and things you don't see ... That's something I've learned in my own life, kindness is wildly underrated in romantic relationships and should be celebrated." Watch Mescal's full comments onBrokeback MountainandThe History of Soundin the video above. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
