Review of In the Heights (2021) by Ahmedaiman1999 — 04 Jul 2021

Seems like the vast majority of the movie reviews I read denounce it for lacking in cohesion, and I simply think they're missing the point. In The Heights plays out like a rhapsody, with each character's storyline thread is given singularity and distinct nature to stand out, yet they're all integrated partly due to the free-flowing structure the movie has as well as its main theme that encompasses the entire story — the classism of gentrification and its impending repercussions. Thus, the story offers a sort of communal experience, that it reflects not only its characters, but the whole block that was "disappearing." The story's goings-on spans several days before and after "the blackout" amid a scorching summer. It's Washington Heights where everyone chasing their own little dream (or sueñito), hoping one day they finally reach for the heights that seem to be just there over the horizon yet actually no one can see as they're beyond the blinding streetlights of the soon-to-be-gentrified Nueva York. At the centre stage, we have our narrator, Usnavi. A small little corner store (bodega) owner with a dream of returning home to the Dominican Republic, Usnavi also has a longtime crush on Vanessa — a girl in the neighborhood with an artistic talent for fashion designing, working in a beauty salon and dreams of moving downtown. There's also Sonny, Usnavi's younger cousin and sidekick who works with him. On a side note, Lin-Manuel Miranda decision to leave the role of Usnavi, which he originally played, to Anthony Ramos is a really smart one. Ramos gives his character an amiably rogue-ish charm that Miranda would no longer be able to emanate.

Nina's storyline, though, is by miles the richest, more compelling and intricately detailed—albeit more conventional—one. Her father had sold half his share in business to pay for her education, only to find out that her daughter dropped out after her freshman year. Nina's story touches on a few interesting topics as it unravels. She grew bitter at the idea of being an outsider and couldn't stand seeing herself through the prejudiced perspective of her colleagues. Her family of first and second-generation immigrants had managed to assimilate with the new culture without losing their identity, ultimately partly seceding themselves to form their own community. But as for her, she experienced some sort of weltschmerz when she discovered that the hurdle of inherent prejudice still exists. She's unwelcomed, and even humiliated and treated as a dodgy person solely because of her ethnicity. What further exacerbates Nina's adversity is the fact she has always been regarded from her father, as well as her whole neighborhood, as the genius kid from whom they anticipated a lot. Even as an undergrad, the small girls in the block look up to her as an inspiration. All that proves a burden to her already self-disparaged self.

All that said, we always see that community standing in solidarity and resilience in the face of their hardships, sustaining their Washington Heights with hectic and lively atmosphere. We get plenty of insert shots that focus on, in the words of Abuela Claudia—the barrio's matriarch, "the little details that tell the world [they] are not invisible." Speaking of the character of Abuela, she's basically the heart and soul of the community. She inherited the "American dream"— that of barely surviving the new environment—from her mother. When she was young, she managed to cope with the challenges she faced on a daily basis. As an old woman, she burnt herself like a candle for illuminating her neighbourhood in ways that seem to surpass the metaphorical sense of the word. Furthermore, the matriarchal power of the neighborhood, in general, lays on the acculturation basis of "integration" rather than either "assimilation" or "separation." As Carla sings, "My mom is Dominican-Cuban. My dad is from Chile. Which means, I'm Chile-Domini-Curican. But I always say I'm from Queens." Here we get that they aim to simultaneously adopt the new culture while retaining their heritage proudly.

On multiple occasions throughout the movie, and especially in the titular musical number, we see the players' movements synchronized with music perfectly. And it's clear there was a painstaking attention given to the choreography of every musical number. Whether they're jumping in the air, splashing water or dancing in the streets, all the players are seen engaged in unison in jubilant celebrations of the potential for realizing their dreams, or for warding off the their troubles along with the heatwave. It's worth noting that many of the tunes are syncopated (the offbeats are emphasized; the weak beats are stressed instead of the normally strong ones), which lends the music a more human quality due to its decidedly imperfect nature. The tonal shifting is blatantly inconsistent at some points, but that's the only complaint I can think of.