The Cuban

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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A proudly Canadian indie drama about the powers of music and its ability to transcend disease, age, religion, culture, gender, and pretty much any other construct/label you can imagine! You smile as much as you cry, which lends fantastically toward the film's authenticity. It resonates with a sympathy that crosses many barriers. It is rich in acting ability, observational detail, and emotional focus!

One of the things I appreciate most about this film is that writer Alessandra Piccione and Director Sergio Navaretta don't tread delicately in presenting the physical, mental and emotional tolls that both Dementia and Alzheimer's disease take not only on the afflicted individual but on everyone who comes close to that person.

All character dynamics are handled with fierce skill and keen eyes for nuance. It is obvious the entire cast and crew worked tirelessly on character development! The production team's effort behind this movie is clearly a force to be reckoned with!

Louis Gosset Jr's performance as Luis Garcia is poignantly perfect. He depicts an elderly Cuban musician (a legend of sorts much like the actor is) who is battling dementia and Alzheimer's disease. One of the main settings is a long term care facility/nursing home where Luis' family has all but banished him to live out the remainder of his life. It is here that he encounters young Mina.

Ana Golja's character Mina is a nursing student. She wastes very little time creating a vivid memory centre of sorts for Mr. Garcia by resurrecting memories of his musical past via lively Cuban jazz. In return...he renews her passion in life through him - music.

Shohreh Aghdashloo plays the nursing home's administrator, Bano Ayoub - an Afghani immigrant who shows a professional detachment from the residents. She flirts masterfully with hot and cold emotions toward her niece Mina (and more importantly, toward her love interest - a non-Muslim student named Kris portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti). She pushes her niece to go to medical school and Golja skillfully portrays underlying resentment toward her aunt's decisions about her own life's purpose.

The cinematography/visual effects are outstanding! Whether on a Brantford, Ontario terrace, or on a Cuban streetscape, there are several "gasp-worthy" moments in the film. The use of vintage lenses when the film pans back decade to Luis's life in Cuba was a stellar artistic choice! I adore the effect! Well done.

Editing...I can only imagine the cutting room floor for this film! They say the Editor's job is never done, but man does she nail it! Jane MacRae...your work doesn't go unnoticed by us layman types (moviegoers)! 😊

The most riveting aspect of the film for me was carefully observing Gosset, Gianniotti and Golj's characters - trying to figure out who is the teacher and who is the student in any given scene kept me glued to the screen! The role reversals truly are a merry-go-round of wonder and delight!

Keep an eye on The Cuban. It just may steal more than your heart!

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

VERY well done movie covering many subjects, aging, how we treat our elders, how music/food affects us, cultural differences, I could go on and on! Don't want to spoil anything so won't detail too much but young pre-med student starts at a nursing home job and meets an elderly resident who is almost catatonic, no words/eating etc. She discovers what makes him more aware and it changes her life as well. Great acting as usual from Louis Gossett Jr and I didn't know Ana Golja but she was great too. Many supporting actors also gave really good performances which added to the story/mood of the film. Music was great as well as the writing, simple yet complicated story. Having waited on seniors for a lot of my career I can tell you they often have GREAT stories to tell and we should pay attention to them. Many pieces of advice they gave me have come in handy. Overall well done, give it a look!

The Cuban is one of the best films I have seen in a long time! The story is heartwrenching and Louis Gossett Jr. does an amazing job playing the main character. The exposition of the story is incredible and I loved how Ana Golja's character storyline intertwines with Louis Gossett Jr's to show the importance of friendship and music. The question of following the rules vs. trying to inspire passion in a person is a great subtheme of the movie and even with such a sad story, the ending was beautiful and made me cry happy tears.