Based on the short story of the same name by Ben Shattuck, it's about the relationship between two men (Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal) who meet in 1916 and then travel together in the summer of 1919 to record the folk songs of their countrymen in rural New England.
Hermanus landed the job of director just as the COVID-19 pandemic started and developed the script with Shattuck during lockdown from his home in Barrydale, South Africa.
[3] Producers include Lisa Ciuffetti, Andrew Kortschak, and Andrea Roa, as well as Tim Haslam for Embankment Films[4] and Sara Murphy.
[9] Crew allegedly attached to The History of Sound were spotted at the restaurant 10th & Willow in Hoboken, New Jersey, which was closed for filming in early March,[10] and O'Connor and Mescal were photographed together in costume for the first time.
The blacksmith shop, located at the rear of the property, was turned into a Maine cabin and visited by stars Mescal and O'Connor.