Música

I love this movie. Especially the good music and a fresh perspective. The creative portrayal of synesthesia was fun. I can see how it could wear on you hearing music all of the time. It would be distracting for me and irritating to others.

I appreciate the courage to address racism and mental health in a healthy, more relaxed way; without making it overly dramatic or angry or losing the focus of the film. This is a rom com.

I enjoyed Rudy's sense of humor and seeing how he engages with people in different relationships and situations. He is a sweet guy and a good man. Now I only wish he had a single uncle to send my way! LOL.

So, Rudy Mancuso wrote and directed 'Musica', and in it he stars as Rudy, a person with synesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In this movie Rudy mostly experiences this in everyday sounds, kids playing ball, cooks tapping their utensils, bus and subway sounds, those sorts of things. But to him they are rhythms and music.

In real life this is Rudy Mancuso. In real life he is an accomplished musician, he is a puppeteer, so this movie is mostly autobiographical. The fictional part is having a 'gringa' for a girlfriend and realizing that they weren't really a good fit for each other.

Then one faithful day Rudy is picking up fish at the local market and gets hit on his face with a fish thrown by one of the workers. In that process he meets fellow Brazilian, Camila Mendes as Isabella. Continuing the reflection of real life, Rudy and Camilla met during the making of this movie and now, in real life they are a couple.

It also appears that Rudy's movie mother, Maria, is played by his real mother, Maria, although I can't find out anything about her.

All that aside, is it an entertaining movie? Yes, it is. While the bare-bones rom-com story follows a mostly familiar formula, the way the movie is made is unique and quirky. It was refreshing to watch a movie presented in a totally different manner.

My wife and I watched it at home, streaming on Amazon Prime.

The way the music is used in this film is exceptional.

There is Edgar level cool and then there is this.

The acting is so convincing.

It is really hard for me to find faults in this.

I was blown away by the production design , music and direction in this film.

There are only a very few films that has made me cry with joy and this film is definitely one of them.

The last time I was this overjoyed was when I saw Across the Spiderverse.

So glad that Rudy was able to pull this off.

Been following him from his Youtube days.

He is truly an inspiration.

This movie is pure magic.

The fact that it is based on a true story is a cherry on top.

This movie was very beautifully done. The cinematography, editing, and directing choices were on point.

Cami Mendes is gorgeous and she steals the movie. In addition, there were funny moments with the puppet.

However, there is something missing about this movie. It felt a bit boring at times. I think there needed to be more work on the conflict or building more character development in relation to the conflict in the story. Personally, I needed more buy in to what he was going through.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I've always like Rudy's shorts, and I think the years of creating short videos has really paid off.

You may have enjoyed Rudy Mancuso's YouTube and Awkward Puppets videos, but nothing prepares you for his breezy, endlessly playful and inventive feature film directing and co-writing debut.

The apparently autobiographical plot is a simple coming of age romantic comedy, but Mancuso peppers the film with rhythm, music, and delightful sight gags that tweak film conventions and keep the story tripping along in a seemingly effortless way.

Bonus points for terrific romantic chemistry between the two leads, pitch perfect pacing and casting across the board, wonderful use of color, and the feature film debut that Diego the puppet deserves!