The Cuban is a new film about a well-known Cuban jazz musician who’s in a nursing home, struggling with dementia. A new pre-med nurse is assigned to him, and she’s determined to draw out the memories from his past. Among other things, she sneaks in a record player and plays all the great music from his youth, she brings him home-cooked Cuban food, and she takes him out of the nursing home for one last round of fun.
The Cuban stars Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr., but the music is really the main character. The film posits the idea that there are lots of ways that we can make the last years of an elderly person’s life a lot better — for example, with music.
Directed by Sergio Navarretta, The Cuban features a soundtrack by Hilario Durán, the very talented Cuban-Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Durán joined us to talk about the making of The Cuban and to walk us through some of the music. You can listen to the interview below.