Summary
Rudy Mancuso’s feature debut offers a unique perspective on synesthesia, young adulthood, and puppets.
We’ve probably all imagined which A-lister would play us in a movie about our lives. Writer, director, choreographer, and Música’s leading man, Rudy Mancuso, answered that question by creating and starring in a full feature about himself. He even cast his mom to play his on-screen mother in the Prime Video production. The coming-of-age romantic flick centers on a protagonist with a uniquely rhythmic condition who’s trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life after graduating from college.
Música centers on Rudy (Mancuso), a Brazilian American college student living in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood in New Jersey. For as long as he can remember, Rudy’s been creating musical rhythms inside his head from everyday sounds. The condition is called synesthesia and while it certainly enhances his auditory life experience, it can also get overwhelming in busy public places. Rudy’s long-term girlfriend, Haleyy (Francesca Reale), wants him to grow up and pursue a “real” career that isn’t busking with a puppet in a busy underground station.
Rudy’s overprotective mother, Maria (played by Maria Mancuso, Rudy Mancuso’s real-life mom), is adamant he stops seeing Haleyy and finds a nice Brazilian girl to marry. She even goes as far as to arrange blind dates with women she considers suitable candidates. The protagonist’s only friend and mentor figure is Anwar (J.B. Smoove), the owner of a popular neighborhood food cart.
Rudy Mancuso in Musica | Image via Prime Video
One day, Rudy gets hit in the face by a fish market cod and meets Isabella (Camila Mendes), a young Brazilian girl who works with fish but dreams of opening a bar. The two hit it off straight away, and Isabella becomes the one who fully understands Rudy and his unique relationship with rhythm, beats, and, of course, puppets. What follows is a standard coming-of-age tale featuring a love triangle, an overbearing mother, and an abundance of musical interludes.
Aside from his synesthesia, Rudy’s struggle is between choosing to change his life and move away from Newark and the Brazilian community he grew up in. He’s been with Haley for the past four years and feels obligated to continue the relationship. On the other hand, Isabella is a free-spirited young woman who couldn’t imagine life away from the food, the people, and the sounds of Newark’s community. Rudy’s quest isn’t just about romance, but also about choosing which direction he wants to go as he’s becoming an adult.
For someone making his feature debut, Mancuso does a great job in the lead role of Música, playing Rudy with the hapless charm the character calls for. There’s plenty of chemistry with his two co-stars, Camila Mendes and Francesca Reale, making the unlikely love triangle fun to watch.
There’s also a lot of tenderness in the on-screen relationship between Rudy and his Brazilian mother. The real bond between them makes the relationship presented in the movie all the more believable.
As formulaic as the narrative is, the rhythmic dancing infused with bright theatrical set pieces shows how this little gem is cut from a cloth above the rest. Rudy Mancuso is a uniquely talented individual who offers viewers an artistic representation of synesthesia wrapped up in a touching feel-good story about reaching adulthood as the child of an immigrant mother.
I also broke down the Musica ending in detail if you’re interested in how the movie concluded.
