O Som da Amizade

Heart-breaking, soulful and relatable; "The Cuban" doesn't quite reach its potential but manages to create sweet moments.

In this drama, a med student gets a job in a nursing home and befriends an elderly Cuban musician, reigniting her love of music and changes her life forever.

The superstar in this film is Ana Golja; she embodies so much heart, soul and delivers a great performance. The legendary Louis Gossett Jr is fantastic as well as the man struggling with his kind and body. Hilario Durán's score is incredibly infectious and will make you want to dance. Aside from its flaws; "The Cuban" is overall a good film that will make you realize how much we need to appreciate our elders and how much music can change being.

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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.

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

Good story, good soundtrack, some good acting, but why is almost every scene in shade and out of focus? Engaging Canadian drama but very hard to watch.

As the director of mambo Man film myself, I found The Cuban beautifully filmed. The lighting was perfect, the story followed all the way through. There was not one moment that I could leave and go to make a cup of coffee. I watched it all in one go to the end and honestly thought it was one of the best films I have seen. It has emotions, sensitivity and above all element of human. Watch it to judge for yourself as I am not going to give anything away! I watch lots of film and 99 times out of 100, I give up after few minutes!