Música

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!

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.

The movie at times can be generic yes, however I noticed them film is shot almost like someone has experience with directing a stage performance.

I could tell with the transitions with physical set dressing and using staging making the locations also part of the movie.

The movie itself I feel like it has some great moments, I do think the weakest park is probably the script as it was lacking emotion that you would usually find in a romcom.

With that in mind, I am happy it didn't run with the by the numbers "Musician is talented but lost the will to do the things he loved until a woman come into his life". Instead he is what he is and continues to push forward.

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.

A creative and clever movie about a different kind of guy, Musica shows us what it's like to live with synesthesia, hearing rhythm in everyday sounds.

Musica is filled with bright colors, percussive movement and beautiful music. It's a coming of age film that shows Rudy struggling through life and love as he strives to be himself. And yes, there are puppets.

This is a sweet story of a young man finding his way in the world. Rated PG-13 you could watch with your mom and not be embarrassed for a moment.

Anyone from an ethnic family - any ethnicity - will get the nuances of the family relationships, the ties to the neighborhood, and always being asked if you've eaten.

I highly recommend this entertaining and lovely movie.