Last November, Lin Manuel Miranda debuted as a musical film director with the feature-length movie entitled “Tick, tick .., BOOM!” starring Andrew Garfield Garfield stars as playwright Jonathan Larson who is known for being the creator of Broadway’s award-winning hit “Rent”.
Jonathan Larson was a struggling playwright, aspiring to enter show business with a futuristic rock opera sound in mind. While Larson’s character stumbles on the tortured artist trope, Garfield’s acting shows sincerity, which prevents clichés from happening.
Why the Title “Tick, Tick Boom!” Title
In the first half of the film, the chronology can be a bit perplexing because of the unique film structure. The movie was presented with songs performed from Miranda’s musical, as Jonathan Larson was producing songs for his own musical. The confusing chronology later clears out to divulge a borderline-manic songwriter stressed out at the thought of his upcoming birthday, without realizing his dream of becoming another Stephen Sondheim.
The constant ticking in the background makes the aspects and the title of the film very clear. Larson constantly feels pressured by time and the idea of growing older but still far from achieving success. C0ncerned that his time is running out, he repeatedly mentions how Stephen Sondheim created his own Broadway show before turning 30.
Another aspect of time in the film that tackles a more serious topic concerns Freddy (played by Ben Levi Ross), his friend from work, who gets hospitalized because of HIV. Later on in the movie, when Jonathan eventually pieces everything together for his musical, his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) discloses that he too is also HIV-positive. Furthermore, his problems revolving around the completion of his musical had put a strain to his relationships. Including with his dancer girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) and his best friend Michael.
Andrew Garfield has already proven himself as a great actor for such genres, but this time, the film allows him to showcase his skills in singing. Not only did Garfield properly conveyed emotions through his singing, his tonal quality was simply amazing. It is very obvious that the actor trained himself intensely in preparing for this role.