“There’s a place where we don’t have to feel unknown
And every time that you call out
You’re a little less alone” – You Will Be Found, Dear Evan Hansen.
The film adaptation of the musical Dear Evan Hansen came out in theaters on Sept. 24. In 2017, the Washington Post considered the Broadway musical “one of the most remarkable shows in musical-theater history.” That same year, the musical won six Tony Awards. You can’t say the same for the film.
Thus far, the film has been highly criticized for its complex plot that New York Times journalist Jeannette Catsoulis claims is about “a lonely teenager who exploits a classmate’s tragedy.” Critiques such as this are valid. However, that does not negate the musical’s impact in the last six years.
Dear Evan Hansen is about a high school student who struggles with anxiety and depression as he tries to find where he belongs. He finds himself amidst the grieving family of a fellow classmate, Connor Murphy, who took his own life. The plot follows Hansen as he tries to navigate grief while establishing The Connor Project, or “a student group dedicated to keeping Connor’s memory alive, to show that everybody should matter.”
There is a reason Dear Evan Hansen is one of the best-known musicals of the 21st century. It confronts anxiety, depression and suicide in a way that conveys the gravity of such topics without sugar-coating or romanticizing it as American society tends to do. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 15.7 percent of adolescents experienced a Major Depressive Episode within the past year compared to 9.0 percent in 2004. This musical has been able to reach people who struggle with mental illness. Publically and privately, it has provided space for conversations about mental health, which American culture heavily stigmatizes.
Suicide is a heavy topic, and because of that, we tend to shy away from it out of fear. But mental illness affects everyone in some capacity. Mental illness does not discriminate. It does not target a specific demographic. It is dangerous for something so gravely common to be stigmatized, and Dear Evan Hansen has been instrumental in combating such stigma.
Asbury is known for its community but let us cultivate that community to uplift people struggling mentally or emotionally. Let us make space for hard conversations centered on compassion, and let us encourage people to get the help that may benefit them. Asbury has counseling services accessible to all students with resources and counselors who care about each individual and are more than willing to help.
