Once upon a time, in Washington Heights…

The film version of In the Heights, the Tony-winning Broadway musical written by Quiara Alegria Hudes with songs by Lin Manuel-Miranda, debuted Thursday in theaters and on HBO Max. Both musical and movie are the story of the multi-generational, Latinx residents of the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. The movie is directed by John M. Chu, who also lensed Crazy Rich Asians.

Every resident in the neighborhood has a sueñito – a little dream to somehow better their lives. (Big dreams are too much to wish for.) For Usnavi (Anthony Ramos, Hamilton), his little dream is to move to the Dominican Republic and renovate a beach bar to make his very own. Since the movie opens there, with Usnavi telling some rapt little kids the story of his (former) neighborhood in flashback, it seems that at least Usnavi’s dream came true.

The story counts down to two big events: an impending blackout in the height of summer, and the revelation of who bought a winning lottery ticket at the bodega where Usnavi worked before he made his dream come true.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Nina (Laura Grace) is home from her first year at Stanford, and while she readily confesses to experiencing difficulty fitting in and making ends meet, she hides the fact that she dropped out from her father (Jimmy Smits, How to Get Away with Murder), who sold off half his business to pay for her first year and is ready to make even more sacrifices for her dreams.

There’s also Benny (Corey Hawkins, BlacKKKlansman), Nina’s ex, who works for her father’s dispatch business and his dream is to be the boss one day, but Nina’s father’s decisions threaten that future, even as he reconnects with Nina over the course of the summer.

Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) the hairstylist who is trying her best to get out of the neighborhood to start a career as a fashion designer and move to the West Village. She’s interested in Usnavi, but more invested in her dreams. As Washington Heights shifts around her, with long-standing businesses closing or moving, will that propel her to change or cause her to cling to what she has?

Just like the stage show, In the Heights has eye-catching style, with gorgeous costumes, sets and lighting. The movie takes advantage of the medium of film to illustrate the story, with numbers set in the public pool, using CGI and green screen effects to enliven the already engaging and sprightly musical numbers. The effects add vivid color and urgent momentum to the songs and help make up for the flatness that usually happens when a stage musical is adapted for the screen. The film adaptation changes the story somewhat, but in a way that heightens the drama.

Seeing the characters up close (as opposed to from several rows away in the theater) as they experience joy or heartache makes it easier for us to feel what they do. That said, if you have a choice, opt for seeing the film in the theater rather than on HBO Max, where it will be available for a month.

Other neighborhood characters include Gregory Diaz IV as Usnavi’s young cousin Sonny, who also works in the bodega, Miranda as Piragüero the street vendor, Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine Nine) as salon-owner Carla and Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood’s honorary grandmother, who is the lottery winner. The neighborhood is an extended family that comes together for celebrations and when things are at their worst.

Will everyone’s sueñito come true? In the Heights is about the power of dreams, but more than that, it is about the struggle everyone goes through while on their way to a better future, how we all have power, and how everyone’s story deserves to be told.