Watched in the cinema (21st visit in 2021)

In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to the topic of diversity in films. More and more counter-designs are being created to the white man, who for a long time reserved the best roles for himself, while the rest at best appeared somewhere on the fringes. That this is more than just a bit of academic duty has been proven time and again. Titles like "Black Panther" or "Crazy Rich Asians" also became hits, especially in the USA, because African-American or Asian minorities finally felt represented on the big screen. At last they too were allowed to provide protagonists who were not dependent on the generosity of the white man and could tell their own stories.

My expectations for "In the Heights" were therefore quite high, especially since "Hamilton", which was also composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, has become an absolute phenomenon and is one of the best musicals I have ever seen (unfortunately not live, but a German version comes to Hamburg soon). This time, the Latino community in particular should be commemorated, who have a home in the melting pot of Washington Heights. This made the box office results, which were far below expectations, all the more disappointing. This may have been due to the fact that the film ran parallel on the streaming service HBO Max. Perhaps the target audience simply didn't want to see a musical, a genre that produces a big hit every few years but often ends up as a flop. See "Cats", for example, which became an unprecedented debacle despite a prominent ensemble and a well-known original.

At least in terms of quality, however, I cannot reproach "In the Heights". In fact, it is one of the best musicals of recent years. The genre of the songs is of course a matter of taste. Instead of typical bombast ballads, as is not uncommon in musicals, classical songs have been fused with Latin American music styles and hip-hop. For the most part, they are catchy and sometimes even invite you to dance. They do so in the film itself anyway, with little interludes in the middle of the street when the characters feel like it. And that is often the case, here hardly a few minutes pass without someone singing a song and surrendering to the rhythm.

This even fits well in this context, as "In the Heights" primarily wants to demonstrate the joie de vivre of this neighbourhood. The musical tells of dreamers and dreamers, of longings and cohesion. At the same time, however, a few dark sides are not left out. There are comments on the growing gentrification. At the same time, more and more people leave to seek their fortune elsewhere, which threatens to break the community apart and lose its character. Although the film, unlike most musicals, has a current setting, there is also a nostalgia that resonates. The love of a world that may soon no longer exist.

Overall, however, the serious themes and sad moments are in the minority. Instead, "In the Heights" is a lively, somehow bustling film. This can be a little confusing, especially at the beginning, when a wide variety of protagonists are introduced in quick succession. Instead of telling a continuous story, it is more about the general atmosphere, about spreading a feeling. Together with the summer setting, it becomes a feel-good musical that is actually made for the current time, preferably an open-air cinema, where you can really get infected by the good mood.