Tick, Tick... Boom!

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)

Directed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Based on a play of the same name by Jonathan Larson
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp

I'm not a big fan of musicals, but this film hit the right spot. It strikes a balance. And I loved the film, because it's about an obsessed artist - one of my favorite themes in cinema. Sankarabharanam, Whiplash, Black Swan, so many more. I like the premise about how an artist feels like he has to achieve something, become something before he turns 30, and he feels this pressure all the time. But once he hits that mark and has done nothing, it's liberating there on. The realization that you can't do much expect put in the work, it's beautiful. This film hit hard, because throughout the film we see how much he sacrifices for his workshop. He is almost in a state of semi-consciousness; especially that scene where he has a fight with his girlfriend and his fingers move on her back in rhythm. His entire consciousness was focused on his artwork and he did that for years, and the result? Nothing. Literally, nothing except for a few praises. Which is exactly what his girlfriend asked him, what if nothing changed after the workshop.  

The phone call that follows, the advice that follows - 'write about something you know', it's such beautiful advice and by the end when he tells his girlfriend that all he has are questions, she responds saying that's a good start. I really enjoyed the subplot of his friend getting cancer, and how he too experiences a ticking clock, but more literally than the protagonist. I love films like these, because they find glory in putting in the work, not in the result. What are you going to do next? Start writing the next one. And life goes on...