tick, tick... BOOM!
2021 · Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Original language: English
- drama
- music
The story
On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.
What it’s like
Warm, restless and sweaty-bright: Lin-Manuel Miranda's film moves between a cramped 1990s SoHo loft lit by tungsten lamps and bare overhead bulbs, and a sunlit diner and rooftop streets that catch the city in hot, washed-out daylight. The camera is mostly handheld and close, pressing into Andrew Garfield's face as he bounces between the piano and a desk piled with sheet music, and the framing often breaks into stage-like theatrical moments where the room seems to open up. The sound is the main event: a driving piano-led score with brassy pulses, overlapping vocals, and a city soundtrack of traffic and subway rumble that never quite goes quiet. Its vibe is anxious, hopeful and romantic, with a kinetic energy that suits a Saturday afternoon with the volume up, a long-haul flight with headphones, or a night when you want to feel creative urgency rather than rest. Pacing is brisk and musical, with emotional beats landing in song. The arc follows a driven, self-doubting man on the edge of thirty, learning to weigh ambition against friendship and love. Language is frequent and there is some strong talk and romantic tension, with no violence. It is for people who love musicals, creative-process stories and tender, energetic ensemble warmth.
More films like tick, tick... BOOM!
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved tick, tick... BOOM!and we’ll explain which ones fit you.
