It has been said that music has a healing quality. Perhaps that’s why there’s such a theme of resurgence that echoes throughout director Sergio Navarretta’s The Cuban.
Shot against a picturesque Havana landscape, The Cuban is a radiant melting pot of culture enriched with themes of human connection.
With an Afro-Cuban jazz-infused soundtrack, Navarretta tells the story of nineteen-year-old Mina (Ana Golja), who after relocating from Afghanistan to live with her aunt (Shohreh Aghdashloo) to study to become a doctor, gets a job at a nursing home. Here, Mina forms a strong connection with one of the Alzheimer’s patients, Luis (Louis Gossett Jr), a once-famous Cuban musician. Apparently, one of the most respected of his time.
Together, the two bond over their shared love of music. Navarretta gives us vibrant flashbacks to Luis’s memories in a way that resembles Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook but doesn’t shy away from being transparent about Luis’s mental stability from the beginning. Nonetheless, the two, who at very different stages in life, find they have more in common than just emotionally-charged memories of music.
In a way, Mina gave up on her dreams of being a musician to follow her family’s dream of her holding a steady job like a doctor. After the revolution in Cuba in the 50s, Luis never returned. Their relationship not only touches the life of the main characters. But also, the lives of everyone around them, including Mina’s jaded aunt.
While The Cuban is packed with predictable clichés, it more than makes up for it with the robust watercolor beauty of the film. It’s hard to not extract value from it visually, like a fun little fiesta that celebrates love, whilst honoring the different stages of the human condition.
Ana Golja and Louis Gossett Jr. in ‘The Cuban’
Perfectly paired with a brilliant score by Grammy-nominated Cuban-Canadian pianist Hilario Duran, The Cuban tugs on our heart strings by allowing the heartwarming memories to reignite old passions. It resonates deeply, not only on a visual but also on an emotional level and is a true toast to Cuban culture.
Grade: B-