Of Mind and Music

A spoiler light review of Of Mind and Music should begin with tone, because Richie Adams understands exactly how this music drama ought to feel. Of Mind and Music gains early credibility from Joaquim de Almeida, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of Aunjanue Ellis Taylor. The foundation of Of Mind and Music can be stated simply: A story about a beautiful street musician suffering from memory loss and a disheartened neuroscientist intent on helping her, bringing together the city of New Orleans and the jazz that made it famous. Within its 1h 38m running time, Of Mind and Music reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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At story level, Of Mind and Music turns New Orleans and the central character into the source of its main tension. The role played by Joaquim de Almeida becomes the viewer's route through Of Mind and Music, especially when an important relationship begins to alter the situation. Richie Adams gives Of Mind and Music momentum by allowing choices to create consequences instead of treating each scene as isolated information. Even when a difficult choice pushes the plot toward familiar ground, Of Mind and Music remains attentive to what that pressure means for its characters.

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The craft of Of Mind and Music is defined by performance captured with energy, supported by performance captured with energy rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Una Vida Productions gives Of Mind and Music a production framework in which rhythm carried into the edit can remain connected to story. Made from a United States production context, Of Mind and Music uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Of Mind and Music works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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Of Mind and Music benefits from Richie Adams being careful about tone and generally effective about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Richie Adams lets Of Mind and Music create contrast between pressure and release. The film delivers more often than it misses throughout Of Mind and Music, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Of Mind and Music suffers because the middle loses a little urgency, but the problem remains contained.

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Joaquim de Almeida gives Of Mind and Music its most dependable performance, finding a clear emotional intention beneath the plot. Opposite Joaquim de Almeida, Aunjanue Ellis Taylor brings Of Mind and Music a contrasting pace that prevents the central relationship from feeling flat. Bill Cobbs widens the ensemble of Of Mind and Music through reactions that suggest a life beyond the immediate scene. Richie Adams serves the cast of Of Mind and Music best when a look or pause is allowed to finish before the story moves on.

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Beneath its plot, Of Mind and Music is most interested in creative expression, ambition and the need to be recognised. That concern becomes visible through Joaquim de Almeida, whose choices allow Of Mind and Music to explore an idea without stopping for a speech. New Orleans gives the themes of Of Mind and Music a concrete dramatic form rather than leaving them abstract. The emotional value of Of Mind and Music grows whenever Richie Adams trusts the audience to connect behaviour with the larger question.

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Of Mind and Music ends as a likeable film whose strengths survive its limitations, especially for music film viewers who want performance to reveal character. What remains from Of Mind and Music is the relationship between Joaquim de Almeida, performance captured with energy and Richie Adams's control of mood. The weakness that the middle loses a little urgency narrows the impact of Of Mind and Music without cancelling its better work. On balance, Of Mind and Music gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.