O Som da Amizade

In a nursing home, nurse Baker (Lauren Holly) assigns Mina Ayoub (Ana Golja) to care for Luis Garcia (Louis Gossett Jr.), a Cuban musician suffering from dementia. She tries to connect with his music. Bano Ayoub (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is her progressive mother who is still holding onto her Afghan home. Her cousin sets her up with Kris (Giacomo Gianniotti).

The Notebook uses flashbacks to add life to a confined drama. This one is trying to use Mina's personal life. That's the weaker half of this movie. I don't find the romance all that compelling. It doesn't have much heat. What would be more compelling is Luis' life in Cuba. If only they could film half of the movie there. As for LGJ, I love his face and its age. I find his recovery a little abrupt. I do like the son's conflict with him, but it needs more space. There are various elements being thrown into the pot. All of it is commendable, but the movie needs more cohesive tension. This is an admirable try.

Watched The Cuban, a beautiful touching film filled with compassion, heartfelt music and inspiration. Lou Gossett Jr and Ana Golja give riveting performances.

For all the NON-TECHNICAL SO-CALLED FILM CRITICS. This movie was excellent. I love emotional attachment movies that provoke real emotions. This tells the reality of thousands of people left to die in a cold non-loving Mental nursing home. The new nurse (MED-STUDENT) makes a real connection with an aging dying man whom she finds out was a famous Cuban Musician. She goes outside the guidelines to bring him some kind of forgotten normalcy from a world he forgot due to dementia and Alzheimer's. Though this she also finds herself as does her aunt whom she lives with. I have been to Mental nursing homes that are cold, un-caring on a personal level and just go through the motions until the patient dies. Is sad and tragic reality. No dignity, and apparently no love form family members who cannot or choose not to care for them anymore. I thought the music was excellent, the acting very good, I could care less about the lighting or film angles, it was the story i enjoyed. Please don't be harsh about this movie. It should be getting better rating. Louis Gossett dies a great job being a Patient. Would you rather live out he end of your life in joyous memories or in a cold un-loving darkness?

I find the plot engaging and touching. The heart of Mina is inspiring. The music is great as well. I enjoyed it a lot.

A well meaning, but far-fetched story of a premed student working in a nursing home environment whose residents suffer primarily from dementia and Alzheimer's. She establishes a meaningful connection with one of the residents who initially is deemed hopeless for recovery. She achieves this bond by using his Cuban background (food, music, etc) to reawaken his senses by stimulating his memory. Of course, she meets her fair share of obstacles along the way. The movie is not awful but I wouldn't want to spend money in a theater to see it. The acting is good but the writing is mediocre. I'd recommend it on a rainy or snowy afternoon at home.