In the Heights
100 words or less:
In the Heights is an excellent movie told about a community that is being pushed out and how that brings them closer together. The central themes of chasing your dreams and the struggles that come with that are universal but are told through the eyes of the primarily Hispanic community in Washington Heights. While this isn’t universal to everyone, and the dreams apply specifically to these characters, the raw emotions and the general ideas are something anyone can watch this film and relate to the character’s dreams, be it getting away from your hometown, or seeing your children better themselves.
Full Review:
Coming into this movie, I had no clue the emotions that would flood through me when watching this movie. From the highs of the large scale choreographed numbers of “In The Heights” and “96,000” to the intimate and somber remembrances of “Paciencia Y Fe” this movie made me an emotional wreck. It was worth it (plus the reference to the King’s song from Hamilton made me giggle).
From the beautiful music, to the gorgeous visuals I had a blast experiencing this movie. The story seems simple at first, the main character, Usnavi, telling a group of kids the story of Washington Heights and how he got to where he was with a bar on the beach in the Dominican Republic. However, as the story is told surrounding a blackout the story evolves and grows to show the struggles and dreams of all of the important people in his life. He wakes up everyday remembering the “best days of his life” when he was younger in the Dominican Republic with his dad, and wishes to go back and live his dream of reopening the bar his dad owned. It seems like a classic tale of a dream and the adventure a character takes to get to where he wants to be.
The characters in this story each have their own dreams that they want to see become a reality. From Usnavi’s dream of moving to the Dominican Republic and Opening his bar, to Mr. Rosario’s to see his daughter make a name for herself at Stanford and beyond, the dreams become the central character trait for each person and are what pushes the narrative and allows each person in the story to be relatable in some way or another.
In the center of it all lies Abuela Claudia who is the Matriarch of the whole community. She is the tie that brings everyone together and is the mother figure for Usnavi and is one of my favorite characters. The wisdom and love she has for each individual is felt through the interactions she has with them all, and the subtle nudges towards chasing their dreams despite the struggles they may face to get there. She is the type of character you wish you could give a hug because you know she gives the best hugs.
Overall, if you enjoy fantastic music woven into a great story about chasing dreams, this movie is a great choice and definitely worth seeing.
8.5/10 Winning Lottery Tickets.
