Música – Rudy Mancuso’s Playful Look At Daily Sounds
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Rudy is a special young man who sees music and rhythm in daily objects, interactions, so he is constantly distracted by his surroundings, drowning in their melodies as his long-time girlfriend Haley fights for his attention. So when Haley dumps Rudy for being inattentive, and unsure about their future, dedicating all his time to puppets instead, Rudy’s mother immediately lines up an eligible Brazilian hottie for her son, to ensure he isn’t seduced by another “gringa”(slang for foreigner). However, Rudy meets someone else by a chance encounter and attempts to figure out what he really wants in life.
Directed by Rudy Mancuso, who co-wrote the musical “Música” with Dan Lagana, the film is a loosely autobiographical tale about Rudy’s own life. It explores his journey as a college student grappling with uncertainty about his future, navigating the complexities of love, and reconciling his Brazilian heritage. Rudy Mancuso plays a younger version of himself in the film, who is in his final year of college, living with his over-protective and over-bearing Brazilian mom Maria, played entertainingly by his own mother Maria Mancuso.
“Música” opens with a delightful scene where Rudy shares a meal with his girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale), but he is lost in the rhythms surrounding him. Rudy perceives everyone around him unwittingly creating music with their actions—whether it’s the clinking of spoons and forks or the rustling of papers, drumming of trash cans, thumping of basketballs. It reminded me of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “Tick, Tick… Boom!”, which had a similar scene in a diner, where the protagonist breaks into a song, although “Música” has a more quirky interpretation of music. Anyway… Haley breaks up with Rudy at the diner, and a few days later he meets the beautiful Isabella (Camila Mendes), who works at a fish store. Will he be able to make things work with the new girl? Will he be able to finish his thesis on time? Or will he be stuck doing his puppet shows at the subway?
It’s thoroughly enjoyable to witness Rudy Mancuso’s interpretation of music permeating everything around us, playfully brought to life through well-choreographed musical sequences, where even the most mundane objects seamlessly contribute to a symphony of sounds. But while “Música” has entertaining beats, none of the pieces are something I’d want to revisit, they are fun while they last, but with little recall value. The cinematography exudes vitality, characterized by fantastic transitions between scenes that evoke a sense of stage-like sets rotating with each change. This technique, reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s signature style, creates an engaging visual experience where each setting unfolds like a pop-up book, seamlessly transitioning as if the viewer is turning the page.
Last seen in romantic-comedy “Upgraded”, Camila Mendes lights up the screen in “Música” as Isabella, a grounded, friendly worker who is happy living in Ironbound, a multi-ethnic working class neighborhood. Her character serves as a great contrast against Rudy, whose main aim is to somehow get away from the Ironbound, almost as if he is ashamed of his cultural identity, but Isabella embraces it, her neighborhood truly feels “like home” to her. Rudy Mancuso and Camila Mendes exhibit palpable chemistry on screen, yet despite Rudy portraying himself in the film, there’s a noticeable absence of a certain charm and screen presence to woo viewers. He is nice and awkward, but that’s about it.
Rudy Mancuso shares a lot of screen-time with his puppet Diego (voiced by Rudy), and often has conversations with him when stuck in tough situations. Some of those interactions are hilarious, while others just slow down the pace of the film, especially for viewers who don’t know Rudy Mancuso, who shot to fame with his puppetry and has a popular YouTube channel called “Awkward Puppets”. I guess “Música” will have a whole different appeal for Rudy’s fans, but for even those who aren’t familiar with his work, it’s an entertaining look at a young artist’s struggle to find his place in the world.
Rating: 7 on 10. You can watch “Música” on Prime Video.
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