By Bairavee //
*This review contains spoilers.
Adapted from a largely successful Broadway musical, the movie follows Evan Hansen, its 17-year-old protagonist who suffers from severe social anxiety and depression. Evan lands himself in a web of lies when he fabricates having had a close friendship with his schoolmate, Connor Murphy, after Connor tragically takes his own life as a result of his own mental health struggles.
With its plot being inextricably grounded in mental health-related themes, here are three important takeaways from the film:
- 1. While mental health conditions may affect individuals in complex ways, it is crucial to recognise one’s agency even amid a period of struggle.
Evan decides to continue lying about his friendship with Connor partially because it landed him in a position he had never been in before – receiving attention and adulation from his peers and an opportunity for romance, among other things. Critics have argued that as Evan exploits Connor’s suicide for his own gain, the film contains a dangerous message that mental health struggles may excuse making decisions that bring other people harm. While Evan’s mental health struggles definitely do not excuse his choice to lie about his friendship with Connor, understanding Evan’s actions in terms of him trying to recuperate the losses he had experienced as a result of his struggles, allows us to extend him some empathy.
Perhaps the film could have done a better job at highlighting the agency we may have to make reasonable decisions irrespective of our mental state, while also communicating the importance of giving ourselves grace for the less-than-ideal decisions we may make during periods of struggle.
- 2. Mental health conditions are equal opportunity; they can happen to anyone.
Mental health conditions do not pick and choose their victims; they do not discriminate. In the film, we witness three characters from vastly different backgrounds all dealing with mental health conditions. Besides the protagonist, Evan, who suffers from social anxiety and depression, we come to know that Alana – a high-achieving student and president of multiple school clubs – deals with high-functioning depression and anxiety. Additionally, we have Connor, whose well-to-do family background does not spare him from falling victim to mental health struggles, which eventually also leads to his suicide.
// The film is a good reminder that what we see on the surface is often far from the full story. It is best not to make assumptions and to treat everyone with the knowledge that they may very well be struggling with something behind closed doors that we know nothing about. //
- 3. Even the darkest moments are transient; no feeling is final.
In the movie, we witness Evan navigating the lowest of lows. One plot point in particular, revolves around how Evan had conjured up an entire narrative of how he had fallen while climbing a tree, and how Connor had heroically helped him. Later on, it is revealed that Evan had intentionally “let go” from the top of the tree, and had to wait ten minutes for someone to come to his aid. While this incident is not explicitly framed as an act of self-harm, it is symbolic of Evan momentarily giving up the fight, and his profound loneliness as he lay on the ground, waiting for help to arrive.
Shortly after the aforementioned is revealed, Evan’s mother comforts him and says “I promise you that someday all of this is going to feel like a very long time ago”. True enough, as the movie wraps up, we witness a happier Evan, who makes amends for his bad decisions, and affirms himself not to give up even when things feel impossible. The film is a reminder that even the darkest, most insufferable moments will pass no matter how impossible they feel to get through. May everyone reading this take comfort in the fact that everything is transient, and that the finality of any decision made in these hard moments is never worth it.
“Dear Evan Hansen” is a poignant portrayal of the detrimental nature of the stigma associated with mental health conditions and the consequent fallout: secrets, shame, and in the most tragic cases, self-harm and suicide. While its controversial premise may create a grey area, the film deserves credit for its strong message of hope, evident in how the school rallies together after Connor’s suicide to remind one another that they are not alone, and in how Evan eventually rebuilds his life – authentically, this time round.
(Watch the trailer here.)
Image credit: Broadway promotional poster