In the movie, time is fatally ticking as everyone struggles with a sense of time running out, most of all Larson, the only one who can hold on to his ambition and run with it for the time he has left. The film follows two parallel worlds to accomplish this: Jonathan performing TICK, TICK… BOOM! on stage and a gritty, naturalistic narrative following Jonathan’s life in the time leading up to writing TICK, TICK… BOOM!. Built like a rock monologue where Larson sings about his struggles and anguish over the eight-year personal odyssey of writing his first musical, the movie comes forth as the dramatic and touching story of a genius living the typical boho life in the soulless New York of the 90s.

The biopic about Jonathan Larson presents the urgency of a man on the verge of his 30s, dissatisfied with his life and yearning for success, wondering if he’ll ever do it, struggling to keep going when the years are ticking. It’s no wonder because Miranda brings to life Jonathan Larson’s story (Andrew Garfield), the genius behind RENT (1996), SUPERBIA, and TICK, TICK… BOOM! (2001) tragically died at the age of 35 of an aortic aneurysm the night before the first public preview of RENT, the musical that defined an era, launching Broadway into modernity. By playing with time shifts and breaking the fourth wall, Miranda constructs a meta-musical where everything, from the narration to the music, songs, and soundtrack, contributes to a thoughtful analysis of the artistic endeavour of writing the musicals. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning genius behind Hamilton, chose the screenplay by Steven Levenson to make his feature directorial debut and reflect on artistic creation, exploring what it means for artists to create and how their creativity affects the lives of those around them. What are the elements that lead to success? What sacrifices do artists undertake for their art? What kind of hardship do they endure to pursue their call? What happens behind the scenes of a Musical show?

Rent and tick tick boom