Daniel De Kok

So I've been reading the almost uniformly abysmal reviews for the movie version of "Dear Evan Hansen". Many of them focus on the story, saying that Evan Hansen is evil for letting the illusion of his being Connor's friend go on too long and dig in too deeply. I think they're missing the point. Mental illness, in whatever diagnosis and manifestation, is by nature messy and unpredictable. Oftentimes the patient lacks the self-awareness, self-discipline, confidence, social skills, or support to prevent a situation where an assumption or misunderstanding turns into a tidal wave of tragedy, scandal and pain. Shame is real, people. It's palpable, and without receiving forgiveness, reconciliation, or a little hand-holding to find the way back, it can become a weight too terrible to bear. So the film version of "Dear Evan Hansen" isn't sewn up tight like a Hallmark Channel movie. Listen to it for what it is--at turns beautiful and inspiring, ugly and awkward at others--and when you leave the theater, if you notice someone that no one else does, just be kind. You don't have to hand them the keys to the kingdom--just be a decent human being. It may just be what that person needs to get through the moment or the hour or the day.