Music Brings Cultures and Generations Together In THE CUBAN
WDCB’s Gary Zidek takes a closer look at the new film, THE CUBAN. He caught up with one of the movie’s stars, Academy Award-winner Louis Gossett and director Sergio Navarretta.
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“As actors we appreciate other actors performances, I truly appreciated Robert De Niro. He did a thing in a film called AWAKENINGS, it doesn’t look like he’s doing much. He’s one of the greatest actors in the world. He was sitting at the table at an old age home, he went from normal to Alzheimer’s and back to normal in one shot. I’ve always wanted to do that. I enjoyed being able to stretch my instrument.” - Louis Gossett Jr. talking about one of the reasons that attracted him to the role of Luis in THE CUBAN.
Louis Gossett Jr.
Cultures and generations clash and come together in the new indie film, THE CUBAN. The drama highlights the healing nature of compassion as a young nurse’s aide takes an interest in one of her patients, a retired jazz musician suffering from dementia. Academy and Emmy Award-winner Louis Gossett Jr. plays Luis, a legendary Cuban guitarist, who spends most of his days in silence, his caretaker, Mina, an Afghan immigrant in med school hoping to make a difference is played by Ana Golja. The two connect over a shared love of Latin jazz as the Afro- Cuban rhythms from Mina’s childhood provide a therapeutic spark to Luis.
Ana Golja as Mina and Louis Gossett Jr. as Luis in THE CUBAN, Image courtesy of Brainstorm Media
“The core message is to never take life for granted, or the people in it. And really look at our elders in society and what they have to offer. I think for the longest time they’ve been neglected at least in the Western world, we need to bring them back into the villages, into our communities and have them participate in what is let’s say the final chapters of their lives.” - THE CUBAN director Sergio Navaretta talking about one of the themes he hopes comes across in the film.
Director Sergio Navaretta
