Image via Warner Bros.
The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musicalIn the Heightshit theaters on June 10, and it is the kind of production you just have to see on a big screen. The larger-than-life dance numbers, the bright colors, and upbeat music should be enough motivation to run to a movie theater near you, but in case it’s too soon for all that, it’s also available to stream on HBO Max. When I watched the movie a few months back, it was clear to me that the message of chasing dreams, love, hope, and community is exactly what people’s spirits need after a year filled with trauma, grief, and anxiety. The film was scheduled to arrive in 2020, but it wouldn’t have fit with the overall mood that the country and world were in at the time. Now In the Heights arrives at a moment when things are coming alive again, people are reuniting with their loved ones and trying to get back on their feet after a year that rocked so many people’s foundations.
The In the Heights musical premiered on Broadway in 2008, and for many Latinos, including the film’s star Anthony Ramos, it was the first time watching a show with a story that mirrored their own upbringing. The story follows the lives of people living in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights who are at a crossroads regarding their future. They are deciding between staying in New York or moving back to the Dominican Republic, going back to college or dropping out, or choosing whether or not to leave uptown for a new life downtown. The film centers around characters who are first-generation Americans or immigrants who planted roots in NYC in hopes of building a better life. This movie is a love letter to a neighborhood that breeds people who grow up proud of who they are and where they come from. No matter how deep their struggles are, there is happiness to be found on every corner. Even when people are dealing with gentrification, poverty, unemployment, and whatever personal hurdles they’re facing, their music is loud, the energy is high and a warm, comforting meal is always ready. Those aspects of the movie and the Heights won’t feel familiar to everyone, though, unless they’ve experienced it themselves. The cultural references could be too specific perhaps for a wider audience to fully comprehend or be moved by, but in the end, the movie was ultimately made for those who won’t need an explanation. The five to 10-minute long musical numbers might get exhausting at times, but stick with it—there’s magic to be found there.
Image via Warner Bros.
In the Heights is likely to have a deep cultural impact, and the cast members were well aware of the responsibility of telling this story accurately and representing a neighborhood whose people and culture are so unique. The team was passionate about making a film that the fans of the musical would enjoy but also one that shows Hollywood what Latinos are capable of creating right inside their own neighborhoods when they’re given a chance. “We spent our summer on 175th street and Audubon. [Jon M. Chu] was committed to the authenticity of being in the neighborhood and really grounding us in the neighborhood you know, that I know, that we grew up and we love. But when it comes to the production also dreaming so big. This is a big movie musical. I think we’re so used to asking for less, ask to occupy space as Latinos, and Jon every step of the way was like, ‘No, this is a big movie, we’re allowed to go that big,” Miranda told Angie Martinez during a virtual trailer event in March. “I love it here, the whole thing is a love letter to this neighborhood that I think is incredible.” Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu helmed the movie and he brought the same colorful, eye-pleasing aesthetic to this film, while also showcasing the beauty of the areas of New York City we don’t often see. In the Heights is one of the biggest productions I’ve ever seen in regards to Latinx representation, and I do hope it continues to receive the amount of celebration and attention it has been getting so far. There’s no telling whether or not it will be decorated with trophies at next year’s award season, but if all it does is inspire the next Anthony Ramos to pursue acting, then it was a job well done.
‘In the Heights’ is an accurate depiction of the Latino experience in New York
Growing up in New York as a Latino is a unique experience. A Latino New Yorker carries a multitude of cultures, styles, accents, and stories inside of them everywhere they go. Their group of friends can contain people from all over the Caribbean and Central America down to the most southern tip of South America. They adopt different traditions, food, music, slang, and more, from each other as they go. The term “melting pot” is overused but it’s not wrong. Watching the cast sing “Carnaval del Barrio” as they waved their respective flags in the air felt surreal. Not every Latin American flag was shown, unfortunately, but seeing so many countries from Jamaica to Colombia to Venezuela represented in one of the biggest movies of the year was enough. The film focuses mostly on the Dominican-American and Caribbean experience but it’s overall a celebration and a tribute to the countless Latin communities that have taken shape in New York and how they come together to support and love one another, regardless of where they come from.
Image via Warner Bros.
Spending much of 2020 in solitude helped a lot of people understand the value of having a community. That alienation is the constant reality for many people who move to a foreign land leaving all that is familiar to them behind in the rearview. It’s not easy to fend for yourself, knowing your loved ones are far from you—way further than a mere six feet. For some lucky people, moving here from other countries to communities like Washington Heights or Jackson Heights in Queens makes the transition so much easier. Those neighborhoods feel a lot like home, the food they love can be found down the block, and neighbors who look and talk just like them can be seen at every turn. Others aren’t as fortunate. Growing up in these diverse neighborhoods no doubt comes with its own troubles, but assimilating to a new life in the suburbs where no one speaks your language or understands you can be daunting. If only I knew communities like these existed in New York when I was growing up on Long Island. I wonder what it would have done for me to have a film, and a community, like this one when I was a child.
The movie introduces viewers to a new crop of Latino talent
The In the Heights cast is the who’s who of up and coming Latinx stars. For the past 20 or so years, it seemed like Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, and Michael Peña were the only Latin actors who got callbacks for roles. This film is introducing a new batch of actors who are deserving of that same spotlight. Ramos kills it as Usnavi de la Vega. He took over Lin-Manuel Miranda’s role from the play, and although Miranda wrote it for himself, Ramos breathes new life into it. Melissa Barrera, who plays aspiring fashion designer Vanessa, is also on her way to becoming a household name. The Mexican actress has already starred in her own show Vidaand she’s now set to have the lead role in Netflix’s upcoming drama series Breathe. Singer Leslie Grace made her acting debut as Nina, Dascha Polanco and Stephanie Beatriz add so much humor and vibrancy, while Vampires vs. the Bronx star Gregory Diaz’s role as Sonny puts him high on the list of ones to watch. Seasoned actors like Olga Merediz and Jimmy Smits add so much value to the film in their roles as Abuela Claudia and Kevin Rosario. Merediz’s award-worthy performance of “Paciencia y Fe” is one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve seen in years. It was also a painful reminder that we also don’t get to see many older Latinos in movies or TV shows outside of the stereotypical roles like cleaning ladies or gardeners (With the rare exception of roles like Lydia in One Day at a Time played by the great Rita Moreno.) I hope this film opens more avenues for them as well.
[Ed Note: Massive spoiler ahead.] Marc Anthony makes a quick appearance in the film as Sonny’s father. The salsa singer was spotted on the movie set in 2018 so his involvement in the film was no secret, but no one knew what his role would be. The Grammy winner is considered royalty in the Latin music world and it was only right to include him in the film since he grew up in NYC’s Spanish Harlem. The scene with him and Ramos is among the best and most surprisingly moving moments in the film. The pair discuss a new storyline that was added to the film to represent the undocumented people within the community, a real issue that is affecting a large number of young people across the country.
The pressure to succeed when your community depends on you
Nina Rosario (Leslie Grace) is the barrio’s best student, the genius, the one who made it off the block, heading to the West Coast to attend Stanford University. After her first year away, she is suddenly lost and not sure of what her future holds. She is a daughter of immigrants and the first in her family to go to college but after she returns, with a desire to drop out, she feels like a disappointment to her community by letting down the people who believed in and cheered for her along the way. Any child of immigrants can relate to the insurmountable pressure Nina is under. The people in her neighborhood see her as the golden child and the one whose success is a source of pride for anyone who knows her. After her first year at Stanford, she realizes there’s nothing like being home with a support system like the one she has. She deals with microaggressions and racism while in school, while her dad struggles to keep up with the tuition payments, making sacrifices so his daughter can succeed. Everyone is counting on Nina to make it, she represents her people wherever she goes and that type of pressure can cause a lot of people to stay in places and situations where they’re not happy. Nina’s every accomplishment, triumphs, and failures weren’t only her own but her people’s too. It’s a storyline that not everyone can relate to, but for those who have been in her place, this particular character hits home.
This might have been Grace’s first acting gig but her portrayal of Nina was spot on. The inner turmoil she’s going through is visible in her facial expressions and she does a solid job at representing what many young women deal with when having to live up to impossible standards and not having space or freedom to fail. Nina’s troubles are universal and it’s what a lot of minorities deal with when they are in spaces that weren’t initially built for people of color. In the end, her father reassured her that she had no reason to doubt herself and that she was deserving of being at Stanford, just like any other person there. That’s a message that will resonate with anyone dealing with any level of imposter syndrome, whether at school or in their careers.
Stories like these shouldn’t take so long to make
I went to see In the Heights on Broadway my freshman year of college in 2009, and it’s hard to believe that the big screen adaption took more than a decade to make. The story had a huge impact on me, and it was one of the reasons I chose a career that was in a field I knew my immigrant family wouldn’t really understand or respect. It helped me carve my own path, and it will likely do the same for many others who now get to watch this movie. Hollywood is obsessed with making sequels, remakes, and reboots of stories we’ve heard time and time again. Millions of dollars are spent on live-action movie adaptations of beloved classic movies that shouldn’t even be touched, and they take precedent over original stories the world actually needs to see. This movie is proof that there’s an abundance of stories yearning to be told, right here in our own communities. We need diversity not only with casting but also in what type of stories get to be told. In the Heights might be too over the top for some, but it’s just right for those who have been waiting years to watch a movie that makes their realities seem less foreign.
Many have expressed their urgency for Hollywood to produce more Latinx content and stories, but there’s no need to panic—these are already well on their way. Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions recently signed a first-look deal with Netflix that includes feature films, TV series, and unscripted content. Eva Longoria signed another three-year, first-look deal with 20th Television and Disney Television Studios to continue creating authentic Latinx stories. Amazon Studios signed an overall deal with One Day at a Time co-creator Gloria Calderon Kellett in 2019. So the future looks bright. It all won’t happen overnight but there are people working behind the scenes to push the culture and its people forward.
In the Heights is out in theaters now and available to stream on HBO Max.
