In The Heights Ending Changes & New Meaning Explained

In The Heights Ending Changes & New Meaning Explained

In the Heights adapts the Broadway musical to the big screen, but there were a few alterations made along the way. We break down the film’s ending.

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In The Heights makes some key changes from the musical, and they reframe the movie’s ending and give it a new meaning. The musical film, adapted from a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes with original songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was initially scheduled to land in theaters last year. But, the pandemic happened and everything got pushed back. Now, after a long wait, In the Heights has finally arrived in time for the summer movie season and, while the musical retains most of its original songs, there are a few story changes that create new paths and meaning for its characters.

Set over the course of three days and in the midst of a New York heatwave, Usnavi de la Vega is bidding farewell to his neighborhood of Washington Heights as he sets his sights on the Dominican Republic and on fulfilling his dreams of reopening his late father’s hotel. Separately, Usnavi tells the story of the vibrant Washington Heights and its people to a group of kids years after the events of the film have happened.

Considering In the Heights is an adaptation, it isn’t exactly like its Broadway counterpart and it doesn’t end the same way either. With specific alterations made for the film itself, which sees a few missing songs from the original musical, the film’s grand finale takes on new life in small, but meaningful ways.

Why Usnavi Decides To Stay In Washington Heights

For the entirety of In the Heights, Usnavi works hard in a bid to carry on his father’s dreams of restoring the old hotel he owned in the Dominican Republic. The film tricks its audience into thinking Usnavi did finally make it back to the beaches of the island, too. However, he decides to stay put in Washington Heights because he realizes all that he’d be leaving behind. In the final song, aptly titled “Finale,” Usnavi worries about what will happen to Washington Heights in several years time, when the streets have been gentrified and everyone he knows and loves has moved on. The idea of leaving the neighborhood behind without anyone to tell the story of the beloved community who lives there now greatly affects him, as do Vanessa’s fashion designs and the mural painted onto the wall of the store.

Usnavi decides that he will be the cornerstone of the barrio, the one to carry on the stories of his friends and neighbors who left their mark on Washington Heights. His choice reiterates his bicultural background, of being caught between two generations and the hopes for the future. What Usnavi ultimately realizes is that New York is just as much his home as the Dominican Republic and he can’t leave it behind when he’s already built so much. The place and people there have become his home and he understands that he can’t necessarily go back to live his father’s dreams. He has to make some of his own and, since he’s already carved out a space for himself, Usnavi decides to build on that going forward. Similar to how he shared the stories of Benny, Vanessa, Nina, and Abuela Claudia with his daughter and other neighborhood kids, he will continue to do so for others in the future to ensure that everyone who came before him is not forgotten amidst all the changes and the stoop of his bodega remains central to the block.

In The Heights’ Dominican Republic Framing Device (& Usnavi’s Daughter) Is Made For The Movie

In the Heights uses a Dominican Republic framing device, in which an older Usnavi is telling the story of Washington Heights to a group of kids on the island while sitting outside his hotel. One of the kids turns out to be his daughter Iris. However, the ending reveals that he was never in the Dominican Republic at all, but inside his bodega in Washington Heights. It’s a fun twist that adds to the ending’s emotional resonance, especially considering how torn Usnavi was about leaving the neighborhood behind. The storytelling device and Usnavi’s daughter were specifically created for the movie; they didn’t exist in the Broadway version of the musical and their presence adds another layer and meaning to the film, making it stand apart from its source material. Including Iris and Usnavi’s ruse for the audience likely wouldn’t have worked as well in the play because the set didn’t really change and has its limitations on stage, but movie magic was able to bring it to life, offering fans of the original play with something fresh and different.

How In The Heights’ Changes Alter The Movie’s Ending

The additions of Iris and the Dominican Republic twist give way to a more powerful ending. In the Heights becomes more about legacy, the passing down of stories to another generation so that they know and appreciate what came before. The changes also showcase the fact that Washington Heights, and its people, are still going strong years after the events of Usnavi’s story. There’s a sense of closure with regards to where the characters ended up rather than leaving the audience wondering what ultimately happened to them and to the neighborhood itself.

In the original play, Usnavi also decides to remain in Washington Heights, but it’s a decision that is made in the moment without the audience getting to see the repercussions of what his choices mean for him or his bodega in the future. The altered In the Heights movie ending confirms that Usnavi’s happy ending wasn’t short-lived, that the neighborhood continues to change, but it’s still standing tall despite everything. There is already a lot of joy in the film and the choices made to add to the story make the film’s finale even more of a celebration, of a home that one establishes and builds no matter the location, and the spirit of the past that lives on in future generations.

What Happens To Each Character & Meaning Explained (Sonny, Benny, Nina)

One of the startling realizations for Nina comes when Sonny confirms he’s undocumented, a DREAMer who came to the U.S. as a child and can’t go to college because of his status. This storyline for Sonny was added to the In the Heights movie adaptation because it remains relevant to the Latinx community today. There are roughly over one million people in the U.S. who are eligible under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but legislation hasn’t always made it easy to apply. One of In the Heights’ themes is that dreams can somehow be achieved, but Sonny is unable to do what he wants (go to college like Nina) under the risk of being thrown out of the country he’s always called home. With Abuela Claudia winning the lottery, however, there’s some hope as Usnavi leaves Sonny the money for his future, which is starting to look a lot brighter thanks to his friends and family.

Sonny’s predicament directly affects Nina’s storyline. After attending a protest and understanding that Sonny doesn’t have the same privileges she does, she decides to go back to Stanford with an eye on doing something that would ease Sonny’s fear and help him achieve his own goals without fear. Nina’s decision to go back gives her a sense of purpose. Whereas she didn’t feel like she fit in at Stanford in a sea of students who came from wealthier families, knowing that she could help Sonny by graduating college drives her to go back to Stanford on her own terms and with a renewed sense of passion. What’s more, Nina now knows firsthand how influential she has been to Sonny and perhaps other kids in the community, and it’s something that will fuel her spirit going forward. The ability to help her community is now at the forefront of Nina’s mind and, by altering Sonny’s own story for In the Heights, it also gives her a clear path forward, one that she may not have seen before. This change makes Nina’s storyline all the more powerful and meaningful. Knowing she can help her community in some small way speaks volumes and uplifts her already multi-layered story.

Benny’s story ends on more of a vague note. His future working at the dispatch is unclear after Kevin Rosario sold the remaining half of his company to someone else. However, he did promise Nina that he would wait for her when she gets back from Stanford and that he’d go visit her in California as well, so Benny’s future seems a bit open to going in a number of directions. Benny, perhaps more than any of the main characters, took most things in stride. He didn’t have any distinct plans or concrete dreams and seemed to enjoy the things in his life as they came. His In the Heights ending speaks to that same spirit, and it’s the first time that Benny begins shaping some part of his future due to his love for Nina.

In The Heights’ Hamilton Connection Explained

What many may not know is In the Heights actually debuted on Broadway in 2008, years in advance of Miranda writing Hamilton. However, the latter is arguably more popular than the former and there are more than a few familiar faces singing and dancing their way through Washington Heights. The biggest connection between In the Heights and Hamilton stems from the cast. Anthony Ramos plays Usnavi, but he’s perhaps best known for originating the role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in Hamilton. Interestingly enough, Ramos replaces Miranda as Usnavi in the film, and it can be paralleled to Hamilton in that a legacy is being carried on, which is something Philip Hamilton never actually got to do because he died young.

Christopher Jackson, who played George Washington in Hamilton, also makes an appearance in the film in a fun, if minor, role. Jackson originated the role of Benny opposite Miranda in the Broadway production of In the Heights and his cameo appearance as the Mr. Softee truck driver in the film works as a reminder of his ties to the musical. The rivalry between Jackson’s truck driver and Miranda’s piragua guy is also a contrast to the close bond the two shared as their characters in Hamilton. In the film’s post-credits scene, Piragua Man and the Softee truck driver reconcile their differences after the ice cream truck breaks down in a fun moment that also works as a return to their famous camaraderie.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/in-heights-movie-ending-explained-musical-changes-meaning/

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