Fresh Musical Romance Straight From The Vine
Film
Wow two writing and directing debut films in one week! How lucky are we?! A couple days ago I raved about Dev Patel's gritty action spectacle Monkey Man and now we have Música.
Rudy Mancuso, who some may recall from his wildly popular Vine (RIP) videos, co-wrote (with Dan Lagana) and directed this semi-autobiographical film. Centered on a younger version of Mancuso, whom Rudy plays, the film explores his life a few weeks before graduating college and how he navigates love, life, and his dreams in a vivid Brazilian community of Newark, New Jersey.
Still living at home with his mother, played by Mancuso's actual mother Maria Mancuso making all of her overbearing proclivities that much more endearing, Rudy struggles with reconciling his future desires and his current reality. His long time girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale) subtly, yet not so subtly urges him to look forward to living together in some expensive loft in downtown Manhattan where they both lead successful marketing careers at the same firm. Sounds a little homogeneous no?
Every time Rudy hears about Haley's dream he can't help but feel a little torn inside. Because Rudy's real future, as he would prefer it, consists of the marriage of music and puppets. Performing a small musical puppet show in the Subway during his down time, Rudy wants to continue playing out this passion of his, even if he doesn't quite know how to make it big yet, and even if Haley doesn't understand nor support it. Much like Rudy's sometime metaphysically alive puppet Diego, Haley is trying to pull the strings on what she assumes is "their life together." Their eventual break up sends Rudy on a path to meet Isabella (Camila Mendes) and thrusts Música into the normative romantic comedy narrative.
But where Música lacks in storytelling, it more than makes up for in visual flair. Rudy has a condition called synesthesia which results in stimulus for one sense, provoking random perception of stimuli in another. For Rudy specifically, this comes in the form of music. Where we hear spoons clinking together in a diner, coffee being poured and mops slapping the floor, Rudy hears melodies and rhythms. Portraying these internal musical moments as full blown percussion performances that fit the scene. Diner employees are suddenly jumping on counters, committing to dance sequences and drumming on garbage cans. The metronome of the film is not the story of Rudy but instead the charming, vivid, representation of his mind producing fun and energetic musical sets. Of course it also only makes sense that Mancuso also composed the music for the film. Further blurring the line between what is Música and what is Mancuso's actual life.
Delightful musical sequences aren't the only visual identity of Música, but are instead conduits for more sensational vibrance. Melissa Kent's editing is clean, crisp, and adds so much flavor to the film. Especially when the story dips into predictable, trite territories. Combining Kent's editing with Mancuso's direction and Shane Hurlbut's lively cinematography creates a bright ambience that many romantic comedies aspire to establish. One such instance involves Rudy changing outfits going from date to date between Haley and Isabella. Playing out in a single elongated take that evokes theatre production vibes, the actual narrative of what's occurring is rather bland. A conventional romantic bit that builds our protagonist up for inevitable failure at first makes the scene a little tired. But the stylistic choices of Mancuso and Hurlbut to make it one long take, creating settings through stage pieces like a play, and having Mancuso gravitate to each location is a great bit of fun. The best part of Música is how many of these moments there are. Moments where the story drags, or as I mentioned before is overly predictable, but the style and flair of it all is just too much fun to ignore. While that can't possibly cover up all of the shortcomings of Música, it does an admirable job keeping the film fresh and fun. Making Mancuso's directorial debut an entertaining watch that has wide appeal to romantic comedy fans, and also those looking for something a little less formulaic.
Froth
A beer that matches the fun visual juice of Música is absolutely essential. While there's likely a great IPA, Hazy or other styling, that would serve well I think this film presents an opportunity to think outside the box. Mancuso's directing choices provide some really inventive solutions to the tired and tried rom-com formula, and it only makes sense to follow suit. Savage Brewing Company, located across Lake Washington in Kirkland, brews a mean Fruited Sour that is perfectly suited for the whimsical notes of Música. Made You A Mixtape is a low ABV sour that packs in bursts of blueberry and raspberry. Providing a delightful sweet and tart flavor to accent the musical notes of the film. It's playful, it's refreshing, it's delicious and it's music themed!? Talk about drumming up a perfect combo!
