Weekend Watch: The Cuban
Music means life in this enlightening drama
Image credit: Brainstorm Media
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, a film about the power of music to re-ignite the past, heal old wounds and help more than those who make it.
Music as fuel for imagination, healing and empowerment is not a new theme in movies, but it’s one that The Cuban employs to heartwarming effect. Sergio Navaretta’s film, written by Alessandra Piccione, has a strong ensemble cast but is primarily a two-hander between Ana Golija’s Mina and Louis Gossett Jr., who gave his most recent excellent performance in Watchmen (and for which he was just nominated for an Emmy), as Luis Garcia. The latter is slowly mouldering away in a retirement home, silent and distant, at least until med student Mina crosses his path in her part-time job at the place. She soon connects with him over music, and dipping into his past success as a Cuban jazz maestro, helps Luis feel more alive and connected to the world than he has in years. But of course, it’s not quite that simple: Mina is under pressure to help her own family, her superiors are none too thrilled about her bringing music to the retirement home, and Luis’ son shows up looking to move him to a different care facility…
It’s a gentle film, enlivened much like its title figure, by music (Hilario Duran’s score is by turns cheerful and mournful, while the snippets of jazz are transporting), but it feels much more authentic thanks to Golija’s quietly powerful performance and Gossett Jr., who is typically wonderful – sombre when the moment calls for it, spirited at other times.
The cast is bolstered by strong supporting roles from Shohreh Aghdashloo (after watching a lot of The Expanse, it’s almost strange not to see her delivering withering, sweary put-downs), Lauren Holly and Giacomo Gianniotti, who breaks free of Grey’s Anatomy, if not of on-screen medicine completely, to play Mina’s charming psychologist boyfriend.
The Cuban works on several levels; it’s reassuring to see a film in which those from Afghans are portrayed as something other than terrorists or those struggling to survive their government, and while there are family expectations in play, they’re subtle and never overwrought. There’s a lyrical quality to the film that suits the mood, and Navaretta, alongside cinematographer Celiana Cárdenas, finds a way to transition between the bleak, cold residential home and Luis’ vibrant past in Cuba.
The Cuban is out now on limited release in the US. You can find the list of cinemas here. There is no information yet on a UK release date.