If you’re looking for a movie on Prime Video that’ll warm your heart without being so sugary it’ll rot your teeth, Música could be just the thing. It’s a love story with an unusual twist: Rudy is “tortured by music”, hearing it everywhere he goes, and that’s shown on screen as everyday things burst into musical performances that often feel like they’re from the same universe as Everything Everywhere All At Once.
What is Música about?
Música takes its inspiration from star Rudy Mancuso’s own lived experience: he has synesthesia, which is a neurological condition where one sense triggers effects normally associated with others – so in Mancuso’s case he says “I personify sounds, feel shapes and see music”.
This “true-ish story” is set in a Brazilian neighborhood in Newark, and Mancuso plays a street performer who lives with his mom and whose girlfriend finds him, and his condition, frustrating. Then he meets Isabella, played by Camila Mendes. What happens next was described by The Mercury News as “sweet and soulful”, and while it may be “hitting beats we’ve grown accustomed to” the film “doesn’t follow in others’ footsteps. What a gem.”
There’s comedy here, but its in the magical realism of Rudy’s visions: the New York Times says it’s “a comic trip inside a mind that’s forever feverishly creating – even against his will” while The Hollywood Reporter says it’s a stylish coming of age debut where Rudy “navigates the turbulence of love, life and puppetry”. It’s “charming”, and “even when its narrative tips into clichéd territory, Música’s aesthetic remains loose and kinetic — an exciting reflection of its creator’s spirit.”
According to Indiewire, “on the surface, “Música” feels like a very standard story about a talented guy who finds himself caught between two girls he likes, and – rather than be honest with them – starts dating both at the same time.” But there’s much more to it than that. “Mancuso and director of photography Shane Hurlbut manage to deliver a stunning musical where no one breaks into a traditional song and dance number.” The movie “heralds the arrival of a filmmaker, an actor, and a musician worth paying attention to, while also delivering a winning and visually inventive musical comedy.”
Being a musical, not everyone will rank it among the best Prime Video movies, but it’s gone down a storm with everyone who’s seen it.
