Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Of Mind and Music

Original title: Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind
  • 20142014
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
410
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Sharon Lawrence, Joaquim de Almeida, Bill Cobbs, Aunjanue Ellis, and Ruth Negga in Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
Trailer for Of Mind and Music
Play trailer2:37
2 Videos
10 Photos
  • Drama
  • Music
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... Read allA 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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
410
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Richie Adams
  • Writers
    • Richie Adams
    • Nicolas Bazan
  • Stars
    • Joaquim de Almeida
    • Aunjanue Ellis
    • Bill Cobbs
Top credits
  • Director
    • Richie Adams
  • Writers
    • Richie Adams
    • Nicolas Bazan
  • Stars
    • Joaquim de Almeida
    • Aunjanue Ellis
    • Bill Cobbs
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Of Mind and Music
    Trailer 2:37
    Of Mind and Music
    "of Mind and Music" Official Trailer Starring Joaquim de Almeida and Aunjanue El
    Trailer 2:36
    "of Mind and Music" Official Trailer Starring Joaquim de Almeida and Aunjanue El

    Photos10

    Bill Cobbs and Aunjanue Ellis in Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
    Bill Cobbs and Aunjanue Ellis in Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
    Bill Cobbs and Aunjanue Ellis in Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
    Sharon Lawrence and Joaquim de Almeida at an event for Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
    Official Poster (Festivals)
    Director Richie Adams
    Filming Una Vida: A Fable of the Music and the Mind
    Joaquim de Almeida and Sharon Lawrence
    Una Vida: A Fable of the Music and the Mind

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joaquim de Almeida
    Joaquim de Almeida
    • Dr. Alvaro Cruzas Dr. Alvaro Cruz
    Aunjanue Ellis
    Aunjanue Ellis
    • Una Vidaas Una Vida
    Bill Cobbs
    Bill Cobbs
    • Stomplegas Stompleg
    Ruth Negga
    Ruth Negga
    • Jessicaas Jessica
    Sharon Lawrence
    Sharon Lawrence
    • Angela Cruzas Angela Cruz
    Andre Royo
    Andre Royo
    • Kennyas Kenny
    Marcus Lyle Brown
    Marcus Lyle Brown
    • Samas Sam
    Laura Costine
    • Young Cruz's Motheras Young Cruz's Mother
    Michelle DeVito
    • Bartenderas Bartender
    Divine Prince Ty Emmecca
    Divine Prince Ty Emmecca
    • Cafe Dineras Cafe Diner
    Juan Gaspard
    Juan Gaspard
    • Scientistas Scientist
    Jaedon Godley
    • Young Samas Young Sam
    Ashton Leigh
    Ashton Leigh
    • Lilyas Lily
    Satin Mitchell
    Satin Mitchell
    • Print Work- Modelas Print Work- Model
    Dora Elvira Pascual
    • Cruz's Motheras Cruz's Mother
    John Pirkis
    John Pirkis
    • Dr. Laurence Guillaumeas Dr. Laurence Guillaume
    Jentzen Ramirez
    Jentzen Ramirez
    • Young Cruzas Young Cruz
    Logan Douglas Smith
    • Conference attendeeas Conference attendee
    • Director
      • Richie Adams
    • Writers
      • Richie Adams
      • Nicolas Bazan
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Inventing Adam
    5.1
    Inventing Adam
    Noble
    6.7
    Noble
    The Book of Negroes
    7.8
    The Book of Negroes
    The Volunteer
    7.3
    The Volunteer
    Romeo and Juliet in Harlem
    7.1
    Romeo and Juliet in Harlem
    The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel
    7.4
    The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel
    Abducted: The Carlina White Story
    6.6
    Abducted: The Carlina White Story
    Dog Man
    8.5
    Dog Man
    Fannie
    Fannie
    Money Matters
    5.0
    Money Matters
    The Subject
    4.6
    The Subject
    Iona
    5.3
    Iona

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Soundtracks
      MICHAËLA'S ARIA
      Written by Georges Bizet

      Performed by by Sarah Jane McMahon & Jesse Reeks

      Arranged by Jay Weigel

      Published by Music of Melpomene, BMI

      Courtesy of Carondelet Music Group, LLC

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Very slow and borderline artsy but not bad for those who like this type of movie
    This is my first review, mainly because there aren't any others to help people out yet, so don't expect an expert film critique here.

    I was in the mood for a drama and this was on Netflix. I work with dementia patients as a living so thought I would give it a shot.

    The synopsis pretty much sums it up - a doctor (Joaquim de Almeida) loses his mom to Alzheimers and then tries to help another woman (Aunjanue Ellis) suffering from the same disease.

    On the good side, the actors did a great job. Every one of them were believable in their part, whether or not you could actually get into their character development - if there even was any. The music was brilliant, throwing New Orleans jazz continuously into the mix. Una Vida and Stompleg (Bill Cobbs) spend a lot of time singing and playing their own tunes, which actually makes you forget the movie is dragging.

    And that's the biggest problem. This was a good movie, but very slow. It dragged itself on for a lot longer than it should have. It's more on the artsy side, with too much time spent getting the perfect shot than spent writing it. The plot was so vague I wasn't sure it even had one until halfway through. So little dialogue is spoken at times that you question everyone's motives, such as the doctor's empathy towards Una Vida, which comes off as creepy infatuation. I spent the first half of the movie waiting for him to reach over and kiss her! The cinematography was beautiful, but even though a picture tells a 1000 words, an extra line of dialogue squeezed into the movie can change one's whole view. Then again, a single line spoken near the beginning is supposed to sum up Jessica's (Ruth Negga) attitude, which was really annoying at times.

    Overall, the movie would have been great if the writing was better, at least in my opinion. There was very little focus on Alzheimers so don't be expecting any profound breakthroughs.

    For those that like these kind of movies, I can see where they would enjoy it, and really, it wasn't that bad - good music, heartfelt moments, beautiful scenery, great acting - but I think a lot of people will get bored and turn it off.

    I rated 7/10, partly because I'm easily pleased and probably rate higher than I should, but also because once you get past some poor writing and a sore thumb from hitting the fast-forward button, the movie isn't that bad.
    helpful•6
    2
    • dougystyle
    • Dec 17, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 22, 2016 (Portugal)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind
    • Filming locations
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Production company
      • Una Vida Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,073
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $932
      • Feb 14, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $40,322
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Sharon Lawrence, Joaquim de Almeida, Bill Cobbs, Aunjanue Ellis, and Ruth Negga in Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (2014) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.