Musical Movie Review: ****Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

 The music in Dear Evan Hansen is superb, and you are able to so much better feel the emotion through song.  Towards the first of the movie, Connor commits suicide.  Before this he has a couple of interactions with Evan, not positive.  He yells at him in the hall, and he steals a letter Evan wrote to himself at the suggestion of his therapist.  He also signs Evan's cast.  Evan's parents, Cynthia Murray and Larry Mora find the note, and confront Even to know more of their relationship.  Evan wants to tell the truth, but he doesn't and makes up a history, and his family friend, Jared Kalwani helps him make an email history.   Connor's sister, Zoe, suspects something fishy as the only time he saw them together Connor was yelling at Evan.   Evan's mother, Heidi Hansen is a single mother, and knows of Evan's anxiety but not of his history of having suicidal thoughts.  Sometimes I wonder if making a movie about suicide and depression might make suicide more favorable to someone contemplating suicide.  But in this movie there is hope, in the song Evan sings as a tribute to Connor, You will be found.

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay
'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand

And oh, someone will coming running
And I know, they'll take you home

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found
So let the sun come streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
Lift your head and look around
You will be found

Ben Platt as Evan Hansen, Kaitlyn Dever as Zoe Murphy, Amy Adams as Cynthia Murphy, Danny Pino as Larry Mora, Julianne Moore as Heidi Hansen, Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy and Nik Dodani as Jared Kalwani