Human Dignity in Washington Heights

In the Heights is the first bonafide (soon-to-be) classic musical to his theaters since La La Land in 2016. Musicals are one of Hollywood's oldest and most beloved genres—from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (Top Hat; Swing Time) to the MGM musicals of Hollywood's Golden Age (Singin' in the Rain; An American in Paris) to more recent hits like Moulin Rouge! and Chicago. In the Heights, based on the homonymous 2008 Broadway play, joins the other stage hit Hamilton in solidifying Lin-Manuel Miranda as this generation's Vincente Minnelli or Bob Fosse. The hip-hop-inflected lyrics will no doubt be embraced by fans of Hamilton. The dancing is turned up all the way to a stunning level to accompany its compelling message. There is no way to describe it other than "movie magic." It has that ineffable juice that leaves an audience either slack-jawed in awe or smiling ear to ear in a state of contented entertainment.

This isn't to say the movie is perfect because it has some glaring falls from a pacing and writing perspective. The film could use some significant editing as its long second act seems to drag on much longer than it needs to. There are also moments where the (sometimes) thinly-written characters' conflicts do not seem to create enough investment or tension. The sweetness and earnestness of the film sometimes crosses the thin line into sugary sentimentality worthy of a Hallmark film. But once the next dance number kicks in, it's so good that you will forgive what happens between songs.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who began writing the play while in college in 1999, devoted this play and film to his home neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The film centers on the neighborhood whose residents are prominently of Latino/Hispanic decent. The protagonist, Usnavi, romanticizes moving back to the Dominican Republic, from which his late father immigrated. Usnavi and his neighborhood friends and family struggle to make ends meet amidst the looming threat of gentrification, rising rent, and the political issue of DACA for "dreamer" children living in the United States. The film is about the many Latino Americans attempting to find community, success, and human flourishing in a country that often sees them as outsiders or invisible altogether. It is a love letter to "dreamers" and the sometimes elusive search for home. Usnavi must decide if his true home is "out there" in the Dominican Republic or "here" in Washington Heights. His friend, Nina, must choose between enduring microaggressions at Stanford or return back to Washington Heights without finding the educational success her community so desperately wants to see modeled. The heart of the film is the neighborhood's "Abuela," Claudia, who speaks wisdom into the lives of the characters while also rooting their present in the past sacrifices of those who have gone before them. Abuela Claudia states the film's thesis when she says, "We had to assert our dignity in small ways." The film's core message is one of human dignity. All people are created in God's image and all people are people worthy of respect, kindness, and compassion. There is no one culture inherently "greater" than others. In the Heights celebrates the dignity of dreamers and their beautiful culture. It's also a celebration of movies, music, and dance. If you see it in a theater (which you should!), then you can also celebrate the glorious return of the cinemas.