“When you’re falling in a forest, and there’s nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound?” So sings Ben Platt as the eponymous Evan Hansen in the film “Dear Evan Hansen.” His words are a question familiar to many, albeit in many variations. To put them more clearly: “Does anybody know that I’m hurting, or am I really all alone?” “Dear Evan Hansen” seeks to tell the world that the answer is a clear and resounding: “No, you are not alone.”
“Dear Evan Hansen” is the latest in a line of Broadway musicals adapted to film, though its ratio of singing to speaking is on the lighter end of the spectrum. The feature brings audiences alongside Evan Hansen, played by the original stage actor Ben Platt. Evan is friendless and desperately wants to connect with others, which he sings of in the iconic song “Waving Through a Window,” but his dreams are inhibited by his severe social anxiety. When another outcast, Connor Murphy, takes a letter Evan wrote to himself, it becomes mistaken for Connor’s last words to his “friend” before his subsequent suicide. Against his better judgment, Evan finds himself going along with the idea that Connor and he were best friends, and through this he finds the platform and the courage to speak out about depression, anxiety and loneliness.
This comes to a climax in the anthem “You Will Be Found,” when Evan sings a speech at Connor’s memorial service, proclaiming that no matter how alone anyone might feel, help is ready to find them. His message is spread across the internet until thousands of voices have joined in a chorus to pass it along. But it’s not just those in Evan’s world who resonate with his words. Many have found in “Dear Evan Hansen” an expression of the deep pain with which they struggle, and in identifying with Evan or other characters they find their feelings being voiced. It has become a source of encouragement to many.
“Dear Evan Hansen” is a call to remember those who struggle with their silent burdens, encouraging people to reach out to them and for them to reach out and be found. It is a source of light many have found to be helpful in their darkness. The message of the musical, and now the film, is timely and clear: You are not alone, and we are stronger together.
Aggies are no strangers to mental health. Texas A&M seeks to provide support through the Counseling & Psychological Services on campus, and the release during the month of September is timely for the recognition of Suicide Awareness Month. During this, many like Evan come together to raise awareness about mental health struggles, show their support and spread the word that help is available to anyone who needs it, but on and off campus support is available year-round.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health assistance, the A&M Counseling & Psychological Services provides an array of national and local resources: https://caps.tamu.edu/.
